A dictionary of Greek and Roman . of Persia, had,instead of this spike at the bottom of their spears,an apple or a pomegranate, either gilt or silvered.(Herod.; Athen.; 11. ce.) With this, or a similarornament, the spear is often terminated both onPersian and Egyptian monuments. Fig. 1. in theannexed woodcut shows the top and bottom of aspear, which is held by one of the kings guards inthe sculptures at Persepolis. (Sir R. K. PortersTravels, vol. i. p. 601.) It may be compared withthose in the hand of the Greek warrior at p. 135,which have the spike at the bottom. The spike atthe
A dictionary of Greek and Roman . of Persia, had,instead of this spike at the bottom of their spears,an apple or a pomegranate, either gilt or silvered.(Herod.; Athen.; 11. ce.) With this, or a similarornament, the spear is often terminated both onPersian and Egyptian monuments. Fig. 1. in theannexed woodcut shows the top and bottom of aspear, which is held by one of the kings guards inthe sculptures at Persepolis. (Sir R. K. PortersTravels, vol. i. p. 601.) It may be compared withthose in the hand of the Greek warrior at p. 135,which have the spike at the bottom. The spike atthe bottom of the spear was used in fighting bythe Greeks and Romans, when the head wasbroken off. (Polyb. vi. 25.) A well-finished spear was kept in a case (Sopa-ro07]Kr]), which, on account of its form, is calledby Homer a pipe (<rvpry£, II. xix. 387). The spear was used as a weapon of attack inthree different ways : — Lit was thrown from cata-pults and other engines [Tormentum]. 2. It wasthrust forward as a pike. In this manner Achilles. killed Hector by piercing him with his spearthrough the neck. (II. xxii. 326.) The Euboeans 583 HASTA. HASTA. were particularly celebrated as pikemen. ( ii. 543.) 3. It was commonly thrown by thehand. The Homeric hero generally went to thefield with two spears. (Horn. 11. iii. 18, x. 76,xii. 298 ; Pind. Pyth. iv. 139.) On approachingthe enemy he first threw either one spear or both,and then on coming to close quarters drew hissword. (Horn. II. iii. 340, xvii. 530, xx. 273—284.) The spear frequently had a leathern thongtied to the middle of the shaft, which was calledayKvKt] by the Greeks, and amentum by theRomans, and which was of assistance in throwingthe spear. (Pollux, i. 136 ; Schol. ad Eurip. ; Xen. Anab. iv. 2. § 28 ; Virg. Aen. ix. 665 ;O. Met. xii. 321• Cic. de Oral i. 57.) The an-nexed figure, taken from Sir W. Hamiltons Etrus-can Vases (iii. pi. 33), represents the amentumattached to the spear at the cent
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