Javelin

The javelin was a weapon used at medium distance. It looked like a spear, but it was shorter and lighter. A soldier threw it by hand like a large arrow.

During the third millennium BC, Sumerian soldiers carried several javelins on their chariots. Chariots were war vehicles pulled by horses. The soldiers stored the javelins in a container called a quiver.

Javelin heads were designed to go through armor. They often had sharp hooks, called barbs. These barbs made the weapon difficult and painful to remove from a wound.

See also Armor and Weapons.