Fig. 111.—Roman Arrowheads (No. 293). 2:3.
Sling-shot and arrowheads.—Weapons which show little difference of form in Greek or Roman times are the sling-shot (No. 286) and arrowheads. Sling-shot are mostly cast in lead, but some are of bronze and stone. The inscribed sling-bolts from Marathon have already been mentioned, and others similarly bear inscriptions in raised letters: a personal name, of the maker or the general or the slinger; or the name of the state from whose army it was shot—"From the Corinthians"; or a message to the bullet or to the enemy—"Strike hard," and "Take this." A large bronze arrowhead from Olynthus (No. 291) bears the name of Philip, probably the father of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king against whom Demosthenes wrote his Olynthiac and Philippic orations.
Some of the arrowheads have already been described, the Mycenaean from Rhodes (No. 252; fig. 98), and those from Marathon (No. 266; fig. 103). The large iron heads with knife-like blade and long tang are Oriental (No. 287); those from Marathon were no doubt used by Persian bowmen. A similar group from Cyprus, but of bronze, shows long square heads (No. 288; fig. 110, top, right). A bundle of six bronze arrowheads of broad leaf shape, found in a grave at Enkomi in Cyprus, has rusted together as the arrows lay in the quiver, remains of which and of the wooden shafts can still be seen (No. 289). Greek examples belong to two classes; they are all made of bronze. The commoner class has sockets and blades like miniature spearheads; (No. 290; fig. 110). Many of these have three blades; the large inscribed head from Olynthus (No. 291) is of this shape, but barbed. Another variety, which always has barbs, is triangular with a central hole for the shaft. The second class consists of heavy heads with long barbs and tangs (No. 292). These appear to be related to a Mycenaean form (see fig. 98), and as they are often represented on coins of Crete, they may perhaps be identified as the arrows of the Cretan bow. The Roman period is represented by six iron arrowheads from Xanten (Castra Vetera) on the Rhine. They show the spearhead and triangular shapes, and are all barbed (No. 293; fig. 111).
Fig. 112.—Bone Calthrop from the Crimea (No. 296). 2:3.
Such is the regular series of classical weapons. Exceptional pieces are the bronze double-axe (No. 294), if this can be called a weapon, the ridged mace-head from Rome (No. 295), and the calthrop (No. 296; fig. 112), a contrivance for disabling cavalry. This singular object, which was found at Kertch in the Crimea, is cut from a human radius bone.
The bronze weapons are more fully described in the Catalogue of Bronzes under the numbers painted on the objects.
(269) Cat. of Terracottas, C 629 ff.; (271) Journal of Hellenic Studies, VIII., p. 64; (284) Proc. Soc. Ant. Lond., N.S. III., p. 358; Cat. of Bronzes, 867; (289) Excavations in Cyprus, p. 17, fig. 28; (296) McPherson, Antiq. Kertch, p. 101.
[40:] Τἀργεῖοι ἀνέθεν τῶι Διϝὶ τῶν Κορινθόθεν.