Javelin is one of the earliest reliable long-range weapons in human history. It has been used as an important hunting tool since primitive society. Javelin is generally composed of a dart head and a gun shaft, and some of them are equipped with a balance tail. The dart head is made of metal, generally in the shape of a cone and a long drop of water, and is sleeved on the gun shaft. Gun shafts are usually made of hardwood, bamboo or metal. On the battlefield, javelin is often used with shield to make up for the shortage of close-range weapons. With the appearance of crossbows, the use of javelin began to decrease, but until the13rd century, javelin was still the standard equipment in many countries in the world.

In ancient Greece, at the ancient Olympic Games, people began to take javelin run-up and in-situ shooting as competitive events. After completely withdrawing from the military stage, javelin became a pure track and field sport. 1792, Sweden held the first modern javelin competition in the world. Men's javelin and women's javelin were listed as modern Olympic events in 1908 and 1932 respectively. Javelin in sports is generally made of metal or carbon fiber with sharp ends. Men's javelin weighs 800 grams and is 260 to 270 centimeters long. The women's javelin weighs 600 grams and is 220 to 230 centimeters long.

javelin

Originated from ancient human activities of hunting wild animals with spears, and later spears developed into combat weapons. In 708 BC, it was listed as one of the five events of 18 ancient Olympic Games. Modern javelin movement began in Europe countries such as Sweden, Greece, Hungary and Finland in the19th century. 1792 Javelin competition started in Fallon, Sweden. At first, the wooden javelin used by athletes was as thick as before and after. In the early 1950s, American javelin thrower Franklin Held developed a wooden javelin with thin ends and thick middle, which extended the flying time of the javelin in the air, so it was called "gliding javelin". In 1960s, Sweden made the metal javelin, which made the javelin slide better and greatly improved the sports performance. 1984, Uwe Horn, a GDR athlete, broke the world record with a score of104.80m. In order to ensure the safety of spectators in the stands, the IAAF moved the center of gravity of men's javelin forward by 4cm in 1986 to reduce the flying performance, and moved the center of gravity of women's javelin forward by 3cm in 1999. Javelin can be made of metal or other suitable similar materials. Men's javelin weighs 800g and is 260 ~ 270cm long. Women's javelin weighs 600 grams and is 220~230 cm long. In the competition, the athlete must throw the javelin from the shoulder with one hand, and the gun tip must fall within the angle line of the throwing area to be effective. Men's javelin and women's javelin were listed as Olympic events in 1908 and 1932 respectively.

Archaeological studies have found that since the late Paleolithic period, our ancestors learned to make composite tools, among which Shi Mao was the earliest weapon. If a stone nail is attached to a wooden stick, it can be made into a spear for stabbing or a javelin for use. However, some heads are difficult to distinguish from spear-shaped stone groups, because An's long handle uses stingers as spears, An's long handle uses throwers as javelins, and An's short handle uses archers as arrows. However, historical relics show that javelin is indeed one of the long-range weapons of hunting and fighting for working people in China from ancient times to Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

Javelin is widely used as a tool for productive labor and a weapon for self-defense in most areas or ethnic groups in China. The javelin used by ethnic minorities in southwest provinces such as Yunnan and Guizhou is mostly light and small, but the hammer is extremely sharp. The gun shaft is made of bamboo, and there is less wood, not iron. Some spears are sharpened with bamboo and wood, which is very convenient and economical, but the effect of killing the enemy is not diminished. Miao and Yao sometimes poison the gun head, and the life of the winning bidder is hard to protect. Even if the javelin is not toxic enough, it can pierce the chest and head with long range, strong shooting force and accurate throwing. Qiang javelin is shaped like a featherless arrow, with a thin body and a thin tail, so it is difficult for those who are not good at it to use it effectively. Xu Minghongzu's Travels of Xu Xiake A Thousand Lines Diary records what happened during his journey: "Suddenly four people came from behind, holding darts and crossbows and hanging swords and arrows." Fujian people have been good at javelin and water warfare since ancient times. "Shi Ming Bing Zhi San" contains: "Sharla Cheung, the whole dart card, water war is the most." Fang Mingyi wrote "Tong Ya Qi": "Today, Yunnan soldiers throw javelins in the air, which is called a standard." Lan Xingde's Miscellaneous Notes on the Lushui Pavilion in the Qing Dynasty: "Every hole should learn a kind of children's weapon, and the iron blade of javelin learners weighs two pounds." The above examples fully show that the southern part of China is not only good at using javelin since ancient times, but also different ethnic groups have their own characteristics.

Javelin used by all ethnic groups in the northeast frontier is bulky in appearance and wide in blade, which is neither like southwest China nor northwest Mongolian and Hui people. For example, the javelin used by Hezhe and other tribes living on the Songhua River usually has an iron blade and a wooden pole nearly 1 m and about 40 cm long. The double-shaped head is like a triangular flat arrow, with a thin waist and a wide tail, such as a bee waist. There is a small copper ring at the waist, a big copper ring at the tail, and three iron pieces. The edges and tail are decorated with red cloth. This kind of javelin is almost spear-shaped or pike-shaped, and its blade is quite long. It can also be used to stab soldiers. This may be because the northeast people are tall and strong, good at fighting at once, or it takes a long time to adapt to the use of flat ground to defect to the enemy. Many ethnic minorities in China live in the mountains and forests all the year round, and the skills of making and using javelin have been passed down from generation to generation and continue to this day.

In the tactics of the Zhou Dynasty, the fierce fighting between the two sides often started with a long-range shot, followed by javelin throwing, and then rushed to the front for hand-to-hand combat. However, javelin is rarely mentioned in the historical books of Zhou Dynasty and even Tang Dynasty, which may be related to the military action in this historical period relying too much on crossbows. However, a spear used for throwing can be regarded as a javelin. Historical Records Biography of Xiongnu: "Its long soldiers are bows and arrows, and short soldiers are knives." Pei cited Wu of the Three Kingdoms and said, "It looks like a spear with an iron handle." Short gun with iron handle, which can be used for stabbing or throwing in melee. It is also recorded in the Book of Jin Biography of the Soviet Union: "(The Soviet Union) and several riders ran north and were not allowed to enter. Throw spears at Xuan Ji Baimupi, Yamen Pengsheng and Li Qian, dismount and behead them. " Zhou Bangyan's "Song Wenjian Biandu Fu", Volume 7, records that the imperial army of Kaifeng Prefecture in the Northern Song Dynasty "taught the shape of storks, geese and fish to attack the enemy; Cut lice on microscopic sections and penetrate them firmly; Wave thallium throw it, no wig. " Thallium is a kind of short spear and iron gun, both of which are used for throwing, and it is very popular in the army of the Northern Song Dynasty. In addition, there was a kind of stake in the Northern Dynasties, which tied burning objects to short spears, lit them and threw them at the enemy, destroying the enemy's fighting tools. "Biography of Zhou Shu and Wang Sizheng" records that when Wang Sizheng was guarding Yingchuan in the Western Wei Dynasty, Gao Yue led hundreds of troops to attack the city in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and Gao Yue "built heaped-up mountains in the city with the high terrain. Escalator train, attack it day and night. Ideological politics is also a fire, because the wind was thrown into the mountains. Shoot it with a rocket and burn its attack tools. " The flexible use of these short spears enriches and develops the use technology of javelin.

After the Song Dynasty, javelin was listed as a conventional combat weapon in the army. Song Gaocheng's "Things Jiyuan Rong Rong Bing Machinery Edge Card": "Song Hui" said: Emperor Taizong Wennan used the javelin edge card as a soldier, which made him take small ambitions and broaden the German army. The gesture used by the sergeant is also the beginning. Wang Songying-lin's "Yu Haijun System IV". The book "The Armies of Xianping Guang Jie" also said: "First, the emperor heard that the south used javelin as a weapon, which was ordered by the company. "Javelin in Song Dynasty, also known as" shuttle gun ",is several feet long. Originally a weapon used by southern minorities, it was used by border people in wartime. In the 59th episode of Water Margin, Li Gong, known as "Nezha with Eight Arms", can make a dough card with an iron javelin in his hand, which reproduces the usage of the symbol in a three-dimensional way. Moreover, javelin is also used by riders, called "flying gun". The King of Huahu Palace in the 70th episode of Water Margin is about to "shoot".

In Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian cavalry made good use of javelin with unique style and superb skills. The javelin they used not only stabbed both ends of the enemy, but also threw and killed the enemy, which played a huge role in the battlefield. There are three kinds of javelin used: one is "Hu Da", which is very long and has a triangular blade at the front and a petal-shaped blade at the end of the rod. Both ends can stab or throw to kill the enemy. The second "Balcea" is also long, with the front edge close to an oblique square, and the blade at the end of the rod is shaped like a round nail, which can be stabbed at both ends or thrown to kill the enemy. Its three "three-tail throwing guns" have a round-headed nail-shaped front blade and a three-pointed blade at the end of the pole, which is not at the end, but installed next to the tail, and looks like an arrow feather. This kind of javelin is short, although it can also stab the enemy at once, but its function is purely to throw a long javelin to kill the enemy, so it is called "three-tailed javelin".

Javelin used by the Ming army, the gun shaft is made of soft thick wood or thin bamboo, about 7 feet long, thick at the front and thin at the back, and the front end is heavy iron. Because the center of gravity is in the front, it is thrown far, generally with 30 steps as the basic requirement, accurate and powerful. Although there is a javelin with blades at both ends, it is 68 cm long, the blade is 23.5 cm long, the pointed tail is 7 cm long, the two ends are pointed, and the middle is thick, like a long arrow, which can stab people at both ends and facilitate throwing. The Ming Dynasty followed the legacy of the Song Dynasty, and the army attached great importance to javelin, emphasizing that the use of step tactics must be accompanied by rattan cards. Mao Ming Yuan Yi's Wu Beizhi, Military Assets and Equipment III: "The shuttle gun is several feet long and was originally used in the south. One hand holds the side card and the other hand is used to beat people. Whoever wins dozens of steps is successful. With its throwing, the cloud shuttle gun also flies. " In order to encourage soldiers to practice sign language skills hard in peacetime, the army has also formulated clear examination rules and reward and punishment methods. Qi Jiguang's "Ji Xiao Shu Xin Comparison Martial Arts Reward and Punishment": "Try to bid for a gun, set three silver coins, hit within 30 steps, or go up, or middle, or down, not bad." The way to practice and test is to bid for guns separately, or to throw them with rattan cards. Therefore, the article also said: "Try the rattan card ... to make it carry a standard, walk near the enemy, shake it when the enemy is unprepared, and then draw a sword to kill it, so that people are not as good as backhand." He also said in Chen Liang's "The Story of this Array" Volume II "Skills": "... the bidder will be rewarded with money. Those who fail to meet the three limits will be punished and held accountable again. Only three standards are not bad. " Javelin was also used in the water war in Ming Dynasty, and the experience and lessons of "Javelin can't be used unless it is forced by ship, and it is more difficult to shoot it down accurately" were summarized from the operational practice (Volume 6 of Three Talents and Users).

Javelin used by the army in the Qing Dynasty was in various forms, mostly made of wood and bamboo, with a shovel on it, which was slightly like the Ming system. The body also has a javelin. The spear is short, the arrow is 6 inches long, and the wooden handle is 1.8 ~ 1.9 feet long, weighing less than 2 kg. Javelin made of pure iron is shorter, with a total length of less than 2 feet and a weight of only 4 kg. Those who are good at this can hit the enemy in 50 steps. The Battle of Soldiers by the King of Qing Dynasty: "The licensee uses javelin, if it is a shuttle gun. Javelin, plough mark and Zijin mark are also examples. " In the Qing Dynasty, green camp was equipped with javelins such as hand darts, plowshare darts and iron barrel darts, which were shorter in shape than those in the Ming Dynasty and were mostly used by navy.

The above facts fully show that the ancient people in China not only made and used javelin from ancient times to the present, but also had their own characteristics in different nationalities and different historical periods. Different from western society, it has not developed into a competitive sport, but has continued as a martial art. Of course, it is hard to find in the Central Plains now, but it still maintains its original features in some remote minority areas.