Xyston
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". The xyston (Template:Langx "spear, javelin; pointed or spiked stick, goad), was a type of a long thrusting spear in ancient Greece. It measured about Script error: No such module "convert". long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands. It had a wooden shaft and a spear-point at both ends. Possible reasons for the secondary spear-tip were that it acted partly as a counterweight and also served as a backup in case the xyston was broken in action. The xyston is usually mentioned in context with the hetairoi (Script error: No such module "Lang".), the cavalry forces of ancient Macedon. After Alexander the Great's death, the hetairoi were named xystophoroi (Script error: No such module "Lang"., "spear-bearers") because of their use of the xyston lance. In his Greek-written Bellum Judaicum, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus uses the term xyston to describe the Roman throwing javelin, the pilum.
The xyston was wielded either underarm or overarm, presumably as a matter of personal preference. It was also known, especially later, as the kontos; meaning literally "barge-pole"; the name possibly originated as a slang term for the weapon.
It is made of cornel wood.Template:Sfn The recorded density is 51.5 lbs per cubic foot (825 kg/m3), or 0.03 lb per cubic inch (0.83 g/cm3).Template:Sfn
Cornus mas, also known as the Cornelian cherry, is common in the wood mountains that surround Macedonia, ranging from areas in the Balkans and into Syria; some specific locations are Mt. Olympus, Phthiotis, Aetolia, Arcadia, Laconis.Template:Sfn
This cornel wood was used for the spear, because of its elasticity and hardness, making it very durable and a good material for spears, javelins, and bows.Template:Sfn The cornel wood was effective compared to other woods, for uses such as these.Template:Sfn The wood, despite being used for a spear that was so long, was able to withstand the weight of itself; it was tough enough to not need thickness to balance the weight of its length, while still maintaining its elasticity.Template:Sfn
See also
References
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Bibliography
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- LSJ - ξυστόν from verbal adjective ξυστός, which is in turn derived from the verb ξύω (shave, scrape).
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