04-12-2008, 07:22 PM
Salve Omnes!
As just about everyone with a good knowledge or opinion on spears has had a go at this thread, I have chosen it over starting a new one to ask a question that is rather important to me. I have recently dug into the finds of Nijmegen to get an accurate picture of the spears around in middle first century and in use with the Batavian aux (so I am not talking about pila). Basicly, I have found three distintive classifications. One is the hasta type stabbing spear (which may be called differently), with a broud leafshaped point (5 centimeters) and a shank varying between 1.8 and 2.5, length 18 to 25 centimeters, second is the lancea, 25 to 30 long, with a long, narrow (3 to 4 centimeter) point and slender shank measuring around 1.8 centimeters. Then there are the throwing spears, length 10 to 16 centimeters, shank diameter 1 to 1.6.
The question is on shaftthickness and buttspikes.
The finds suggest a pole diameter of around 22 millimeters for a hasta, a diameter of around 18 for a lancea and about 1.6 centimeters for a short throwing spear.
I have only found buttspikes in the diameter range equivalent to the hasta. Could I presume both javelin and short throwing spears did not have a butt spike and do the shaft diameters I have quoted add up to an overall picture for this period shared by others??
As just about everyone with a good knowledge or opinion on spears has had a go at this thread, I have chosen it over starting a new one to ask a question that is rather important to me. I have recently dug into the finds of Nijmegen to get an accurate picture of the spears around in middle first century and in use with the Batavian aux (so I am not talking about pila). Basicly, I have found three distintive classifications. One is the hasta type stabbing spear (which may be called differently), with a broud leafshaped point (5 centimeters) and a shank varying between 1.8 and 2.5, length 18 to 25 centimeters, second is the lancea, 25 to 30 long, with a long, narrow (3 to 4 centimeter) point and slender shank measuring around 1.8 centimeters. Then there are the throwing spears, length 10 to 16 centimeters, shank diameter 1 to 1.6.
The question is on shaftthickness and buttspikes.
The finds suggest a pole diameter of around 22 millimeters for a hasta, a diameter of around 18 for a lancea and about 1.6 centimeters for a short throwing spear.
I have only found buttspikes in the diameter range equivalent to the hasta. Could I presume both javelin and short throwing spears did not have a butt spike and do the shaft diameters I have quoted add up to an overall picture for this period shared by others??