A cateia is an ancient European throwing weapon. Sources describe it similar to a boomerang and possibly related to the aklys.[Quesada Sanz, Fernando, El boomerang, nº 51 de La aventura de la Historia, Arlanza Ediciones, Madrid, January 2003, ISSN 1579-427X]
Etymology
The name cateia comes probably from Italian and Celtic languages words related to the adjective "curved", probably in reference to its shape.[Samuel Ferguson, On the antiquity or the Kiliee or Boomerang, 1838. Transactions, Volume 19, Part 1. Royal Irish Academy] The word resembles katari, another word for the Indian throwing club called valari, as well as kotaha, a Maori sling-powered javelin-thrower, although the latter case is almost certainly a coincidence more than a common etymology.[
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Characteristics
Servios describes the cateia to be similar to the aklys, but twice its length, made of flexible wood with metal spikes and fitted with a rope to throw it, although he identifies it as a kind of spear ( hasta).[ Writing from two centuries later, Isidore of Seville described it as a heavy throwing club, which flew not very far but with great force of impact, which returned to the user's hands if he was skilled enough. Other chroniclers state it was curved in shape and spinning in its way of flying.][
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Some authors consider the cateia a javelin fitted with a rope to work as an amentum,[ a throwing axe,][Luis Pericot García, Historia de España, gran historia general de los pueblos hispanos, Volumen 1. Instituto Gallach de Librería y Ediciones, 1958][ It's also possible the word was used for more than one weapon and it does refer to a boomerang-like weapon in some of the references.]
History
Virgil mentions cateias in Aeneid, telling of its usage by the tribes subservient to King Turnus of the Rutuli, who supposedly employed the weapon in the Teutons style. Silius Italicus tells the Ancient Libya in Hannibal's army wielded cateias.[Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Volume 5, 126. 1857. Relative antiquity of stone and bronze weapons. James O'Laverty.] and Valerius Flaccus tells the same about the peoples inhabiting east to the Black Sea.[William Smith, J. Murray, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Volume 1, 1890] Strabo might refer to the cateia when he writes of a wooden weapon, similar to a spear tip, which the Belgae used to hunt birds, throwing it by hand farther than an arrow.[ Isidore tells the weapon was known by the Gauls and Hispanics of his time (6th century), who in turn claimed it had a Teuton origin.]
Boomerang-like throwing clubs were found in archaeological sites in Magdeburg and Velsen, traceable to 800-400 and 300 BC respectively, possibly examples of cateias. After making replicas and testing them in the hands of experts, it was confirmed they had returning capacity.[ A later weapon was found in Normandy, possibly build in 120-80 BC, although the design of this one didn't demonstrate the same capacity.][Luc Bordes, Anthony Lefort, François Blondel, A Gaulish Throwing Stick Discovery in Normandy: Study and Throwing Experimentations]
See also
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