A dictionary of Greek and Roman . 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 o
A dictionary of Greek and Roman . 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 centre of gravity, alittle above the middle. A. We are not informed how the amentum addedto the effect of throwing the lance ; perhaps it wasby giving it rotation, and hence a greater degree ofsteadiness and directness in its flight, as in thecase of a ball, shot from a rifle gun. This supposi-tion both suits the expressions relative to the in-sertion of the fingers, and accounts for the frequentuse of the verb torquere, to whirl, or twist, in con-nection with this subject. We also find mentionin the Latin grammarians of Hastae ansatae, andEnnius speaks of Ansatis concurrunt undique tehs(Macrob. Sat. vi. 1). The ansa was probably thesame as the amentum, and was so called as beingthe part which the soldier laid hold of in hurlingthe spear. Under the general terms hasta and eyxos wereincluded various kinds of missiles, of which theprincipal were as follow : — Lancea (\6yxV-, Festus, s. v. Lanced), the lance,a comparatively slender spear commonly used bythe Greeks. Iphicrates, who doubled t
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