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Originally Posted by Spunjer
to put much dedication on something like this, i'm pretty sure i won't lob this baby. so that leave this for close quarters...
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Spunjer,
Very nice pics!
I love the details on those spears (thanks, too, Ric!).
There's so much details in fact, such that Krieger remarked in his study of Philippine weapons:
"The greater the amount of effort spent in the shaping and finishing of the weapon, the greater the reluctance that it is parted with. Among the more primitive tribes of the world the spear is usually a missile, consisting of a straight wooden pole running to a point hardened by fire, as among the tribes of New Guinea. In the Philippine Islands the spear is rarely a missile and the spear thrower is unknown."
Earlier though in the same book, Krieger also said:
"As a spear once thrown at an enemy can with difficulty be recovered it is sometimes customary to carry the spears in pairs -- one for throwing at the adversary early in the fight while the other is retained for hand-to-hand fighting. This practice exists among the Jacanes of the interior of Basilan Island."
Spears designed for throwing tend to be less ornate, such that it lends itself well for mass production. The Romans' pilum (below) is a good example of this.
And such el cheapo
for-throwing-only spears are sometimes designed (e.g., the pilum) to break or bend upon impact, so that the enemy cannot throw it back.