12-19-2006, 07:11 AM
If a clay weight were meant to be single-use, it wouldn't need to be fired. It could be just a lump of mud packed around the shaft when the legion gears up for battle, with a little drying time so it doesn't slip off during the throw. If it were sun-dried well in advance, and protected from rain somehow, it could be left in place until use, but that would necessitate lugging around extra weight that could wait until later.
That sort of thing would be consistent with both art that depicts ball-weights and the absence of any archaeological evidence of the weights theselves. If they were fired ceramic or any sort of metal, they would likely be found with pilum heads. If they were ceramic, shards would be found on just about any battlefield where they were used, even if they usually didn't shatter.
That sort of thing would be consistent with both art that depicts ball-weights and the absence of any archaeological evidence of the weights theselves. If they were fired ceramic or any sort of metal, they would likely be found with pilum heads. If they were ceramic, shards would be found on just about any battlefield where they were used, even if they usually didn't shatter.
