Els Foners Balears
With Els Foners Balears ( catalan historical are) slingshot fighters on the Balearic Islands , respectively.
The native population of the Balearic Islands is believed to have immigrated from the Iberian Peninsula ; the first traces of human settlement date from the 3rd millennium BC. Already at this time the first hunters used slingshots and stones of egg or ball shape as projectiles. This technique was later used as a defensive weapon. The accuracy was high even then. Throwing distances of more than 150 meters have been proven by reconstruction and tests. The projectiles weighed between 100 and 500 grams. The fine art of throwing stones later made the Ur-Mallorcans popular and well-paid mercenaries in the Carthaginian and Roman armies.
Around 1500 BC The Talayot culture began , the Balearic variant of the Bronze and Iron Ages . The first finds from Els Foner's slingshots date from this time , and they not only used stones as projectiles, but also bronze and iron projectiles. Some of the bronze projectiles were engraved as a mockery of the opponents. Not only natural stones were used, but also specially hewn stones. The Foners were actively used against the invasion of the Romans and offered considerable resistance against the Roman troops.
123 BC A Roman invasion took place. Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus founded the cities of Pollentia (today Alcúdia ) and Palma (from lat. Palma "(victory) palm").
With a clever arrangement of two groups of launchers, the Foners achieved a defensive bar resembling a curtain, so that the enemy had a hard time getting through unharmed. The force of the projectiles was extremely great. The throwing frequency of each individual thrower was much higher than that of an archer.
Since 2001 there have been several clubs on the Balearic Islands of Mallorca , Menorca , Ibiza and Formentera that keep this tradition alive. The Balearic Championships are held annually.
literature
- Joan Nadal Cañellas (Ed.): Els Foners Balears. Grup Serra, distribuït pel Diari de Balears (p.)
