. Greek athletic sports and festivals . chers of the javelin, aKovrtcrrat, engaged by the state totrain the epheboi at Athens and elsewhere. The distribution of the amentum ^ is a point of some interest 1 Dilt. Syll? ii. 520, 521, 522, 523.^ For fuller details vide xxvii. p. 255. I XVI THE JAVELIN—DISTRIBUTION OF AMENTUM 343 and importance. It does not seem to have been a Greekinvention. It wrs known at an early date in Italy, and wasfreely used by Etruscans, Samnites, and Messapians, but it doesnot appear to have been used in the Eoman army till afterthe Punic A¥ars. The tragula, the w
. Greek athletic sports and festivals . chers of the javelin, aKovrtcrrat, engaged by the state totrain the epheboi at Athens and elsewhere. The distribution of the amentum ^ is a point of some interest 1 Dilt. Syll? ii. 520, 521, 522, 523.^ For fuller details vide xxvii. p. 255. I XVI THE JAVELIN—DISTRIBUTION OF AMENTUM 343 and importance. It does not seem to have been a Greekinvention. It wrs known at an early date in Italy, and wasfreely used by Etruscans, Samnites, and Messapians, but it doesnot appear to have been used in the Eoman army till afterthe Punic A¥ars. The tragula, the weapon of the Spanish inthe second Punic War, was thrown with an amentum. InCaesars time it was the weapon of the Gallic cavalry. Fromthis time it was widely used by the light-armed are traces of the amentum on the Roman weapons foundat Alise Sainte Reine, and we even find it attached to the heavyspear of the legionary. Going yet further afield, we find itrepresented on an embossed sword-belt discovered at Watsch in. Fig. 94.—Frangois vase. Florence. Austria, and there is reason to suppose that the light javelinsfound at La Tene were thus thrown. Undoubtedly theamentum was known in Denmark in the early Iron of it have been found at Nydam. The spears foundthere are 8 to 10 feet long. On the middle of the shaft areoften visible certain small bronze rivets, between which a cordwas fastened. In some cases the cord was found still fastenedbetween the rivets. Lastly, we find the amentum frequentlymentioned in old Irish story. Thus in the battle of Moyreth Guanna, pressing his foot on the solid earth, put his finger inthe string of his broad-headed spear and made a cast at loop, called suanem or suaineamh, was made of silk or flax,and the laigan or spear to which it was attached is said tohave been brought to Ireland by Gaulish mercenaries in thefourth century An interesting survival of this old Irish 344 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FES
Size: 2035px × 1228px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, books, booksubjectfastsandfeasts
