A cateia is an ancient European throwing weapon. Sources describe it similar to a

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

and possibly related to the

aklys The aklys (Latin aclys, Greek agkulis) was a Roman javelin measuring approximately 2 m (79 in, 6.6 ft) in length, thrown with the aid of a leather strap or amentum, similar to a Swiss arrow. Every soldier was issued at least two. The term also a ...

.Quesada Sanz, Fernando, ''El boomerang'', nº 51 de La aventura de la Historia, Arlanza Ediciones,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, January 2003, ISSN 1579-427X

Etymology

The name ''cateia'' comes probably from

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

words related to the adjective "curved", probably in reference to its shape. Samuel Ferguson, ''On the antiquity or the Kiliee or Boomerang'', 1838. Transactions, Volume 19, Part 1. Royal Irish Academy The word resembles ''katari'', another word for the Indian throwing club called '' valari'', as well as '' kotaha'', a Maori sling-powered jaelin-thrower, although the latter case is almost certainly a coincidence mora than a common etymology.

Characteristics

Servios describes the cateia to be similar to the aklys, but twice its length, made of flexible wood with metal spikes and fitted with a rope to throw it, although he identifies it as a kind of spear ('' hasta''). Writing from two centuries later,

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...

described it as a heavy throwing club, which flew not very far but with great force of impact, which returned to the user's hands if he was skilled enough. Other chroniclers state it was curved in shape and spinning in its way of flying. Some authors consider the cateia a

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

fitted with a rope to work as an ''

amentum An ''amentum'' (Greek: ''αγκύλη'', ankyle,) was a leather strap attached to a javelin used in ancient Greek athletics, hunting, and warfare, which helped to increase the range and the stability of the javelin in flight. Stability in flight ...

'', a

throwing axe A throwing axe is a weapon used from Antiquity to the Middle Ages by foot soldiers and occasionally by mounted soldiers. Usually, they are thrown in an overhand motion in a manner that causes the axe to rotate as it travels through the air. ...

, or an entire genre of throwing weapons. It's also possible the word was used for more than one weapon and it does refer to a boomerang-like weapon in some of the references.

History

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

mentions cateias in ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'', telling of its usage by the tribes subservient to King

Turnus Turnus () was the legendary King of the Rutuli in Roman history, and the chief antagonist of the hero Aeneas in Virgil's ''Aeneid''. According to the ''Aeneid'', Turnus is the son of Daunus and the nymph Venilia and is brother of the nymph ...

of the

Rutuli The Rutuli or Rutulians were an ancient people in Italy. The Rutuli were located in a territory whose capital was the ancient town of Ardea, located about 35 km southeast of Rome. Thought to have been descended from the Umbri and the P ...

, who supposedly employed the weapon in the

Teuton The Teutons (, ; ) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with the Roman Republic in the late seco ...

style.

Silius Italicus Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (, c. 26 – c. 101 AD) was a Roman senator, orator and epic poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His only surviving work is the 17-book '' Punica'', an epic poem about the Second Punic War and the ...

tells the

Libyans Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, Ethnic group, ethnicity, and Religion in Libya, religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the Uni ...

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

's army wielded cateias.Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Volume 5, 126. 1857. Relative antiquity of stone and bronze weapons. James O'Laverty. and Valerius Flaccus tells the same about the peoples inhabiting east to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

.William Smith, J. Murray, ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Volume 1'', 1890

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

might refer to the cateia when he writes of a wooden weapon, similar to a spear tip, which the

Belgae The Belgae ( , ) were a large confederation of tribes living in northern Gaul, between the English Channel, the west bank of the Rhine, and the northern bank of the river Seine, from at least the third century BC. They were discussed in depth b ...

used to hunt birds, throwing it by hand farther than an arrow. Isidore tells the weapon was known by the

Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...

and

Hispanics The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly appli ...

of his time (6th century), who in turn claimed it had a Teuton origin. Boomerang-like throwing clubs were found in archaeological sites in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

and

Velsen Velsen () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal. On the north side of the North Sea Canal there is a major steel plant, Tata Steel IJmuiden, formerly known as ...

, traceable to 800-400 and 300 BC respectively, possibly examples of cateias. After making replicas and testing them in the hands of experts, it was confirmed they had returning capacity. A later weapon was found in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, possibly build in 120-80 BC, although the design of this one didn't demonstrate the same capacity.Luc Bordes, Anthony Lefort, François Blondel,
A Gaulish Throwing Stick Discovery in Normandy: Study and Throwing Experimentations
'

References

External link

Description of the cateia by Servius
(in Latin) {{authority control Maces (bludgeons) Javelins Throwing weapons Iberian weapons Germanic weapons

Etymology

Characteristics

History

See also

References

External link