. Greek athletic sports and festivals . ng backthrough the same positions, except that when the amentumis used the hand at once releases the shaft of the spear,which is merely held by means of the thong. A realisticpicture of this moment is shown on an early black-figuredvase from the Acropolis, the lower zone of which contains acavalry fight between archers and javelin throwers (Fig. 98). 350 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FESTIVALS CHAP. This style of throw is typical of the black-figured vases,and quite distinct from that which we find general on thered-figured vases of the fifth century. It is
. Greek athletic sports and festivals . ng backthrough the same positions, except that when the amentumis used the hand at once releases the shaft of the spear,which is merely held by means of the thong. A realisticpicture of this moment is shown on an early black-figuredvase from the Acropolis, the lower zone of which contains acavalry fight between archers and javelin throwers (Fig. 98). 350 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FESTIVALS CHAP. This style of throw is typical of the black-figured vases,and quite distinct from that which we find general on thered-figured vases of the fifth century. It is the practical styleof the chase and of war adapted to sport. It is, of course,the natural style for throwing at a target, and at first sightone is tempted to suppose that this is what the artists wishto represent; but the care with which they emphasize thebluntness of the javelins is conclusive for a distance throw. (h) The Athletic Style.—The purely athletic character of thestyle depicted on the red-figured vases is obvious from the. Fig. 101.— kylix. Berlin, 3139 in v. most casual inspection. Till the actual moment of the throwthe head is turned backwards, the eyes fixed on the righthand, a position equally absurd for war, or the chase, oraiming at any sort of mark. After carefully adjusting andtesting the amentum in the manner described, and insertingone or two fingers in the loop, the thrower extends his rightarm backAA^ards to its full extent, while, with his left handopposite his breast, he holds the end of the spear, and pushesit backwards to draw the thongs tight. The spear is some-times horizontal, sometimes pointed downwards, as we seeit on the British Museum amphora, E. 256 (Fig. 99). On 1 XVI THE JAVELIN—ATHLETIC STYLE OF THROW 351 this vase it will be noticed that the little finger and the thirdfinger, which play no part in the practical style in whichthe spear is poised above the shoulder, are required to keepthe javelin steady when the right hand is dr
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