Amentum

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A young Greek man with an amentum in his right hand.
Thrower with Acontium

The Amentum was a spear thrower in the form of a handy leather strap that made the throwing of spears more effective.

Description and use

The amentum was a leather throw strap. At the end of the amentum was an iron ring with which the spear was attached to the strap. On the other side, the amentum ended in a loop that was used to attach the strap to the hand. If you hurled the spear, it came loose from the ring and, due to the extended lever arm, flew further than a spear thrown by hand.

One used the amentum u. a. at the Hasta ansata and at the Aklys . However, the amentum was not only used for military purposes, but also for hunting.

history

This war device was used in ancient Greece , the Roman Empire, and ancient Central European cultures. At the Greek Festival, the amentum was also used to throw a javelin.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Georges (1913) entry: Amentum (accessed on July 16, 2010)

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