Lancea (weapon)

Type of javelin used by the Roman auxiliary soldiers The lancea was a javelin used in ancient Rome. Name Latin lancea is generally regarded as a loanword. According to Varro, it was of Hispanian origin. Festus associated it with the Greek lónchē (λόγχη), although this connection is considered phonologically improbable by modern linguists. Modern scholarship treats both Latin and Greek terms as independent borrowings from a third language, likely Celtic given the association of the weapon with Gauls and Galatians. In the 1st century BC, Diodorus writes: "The spears [the Gauls] brandish, which they call lanciae, have iron heads a cubit in length and even more, and a little under two palms in breadth". This interpretation is further supported by the occurrence of toponyms derived from Celtic lancia (Lancia in Spain, Lancio(n)- in Gaul) and by comparison with Old Irish do-léicim ('I throw'). Definition The lancea, also known as the hasta am(m)entata, was a long spear typically fitted with a thong (ammentum) attached near the middle of the shaft, which increased leverage and imparted additional spin, allowing the weapon to be thrown over considerable distances. This kind of jave