The javelin was an event that consisted of a man and a wooden pole. In ancient times, the purpose of the event is disputed. Some say that to win the event one must throw the javelin the farthest. Others say that the winner of the event is he who hits the target. This event contains a definite military connection either way, because those in war need to be accurate and able to throw far enough to hit the target.

        The javelin is a straight wooden pole approximately equal to the height of a man and was almost the thickness of a finger. They were usually pointless with a blunt ferule.

        The ancient  javelin event was aided by the use of the thong, or amentum, which increased the power of the throw, by securing the grip of the competitor's hand with the pole. The thong was composed of a cord 30 to 45 centimeters in length, which was wound tightly around the shaft near the center of gravity. This left a loop of 7 to 10 centimeters which was grasped by one finger. On the release of the pole, the thong helped give the arm additional leverage, rotate the pole, thus stabilizing the pole in flight, which led to better accuracy.

        The proper form to throw the javelin is shown below. The black and white picture shows the steps and motions of the throw, while the color pictures show a modern day athlete throwing a javelin.

       

This is a pot painting of an ancient javelin competitor.

 

This is the black and white demonstration of the javelin technique.

 

 

This is the modern day athlete throwing a javelin.