Quote Originally Posted by Fortinbras View Post
That's something that always bugged me. It gets even worse in the Aeneid when, depending on the translation, you might find the words spear, lance, javelin, and shaft used interchangeably.
Then, sadly, sources will bug you a lot.

Words like Lancea, hasta, spicaetc. for example, tend to be used pretty interchangeably, and it's pretty hard for us to know exactly what they describe.

A javelin is weighted towards the tip to help it being thrown. Melee spears are more balanced, so it makes them a bit 'light' to be thrown as effectively and personal experience with 6ft re-enactment spears seems to corroborate this.
Hmm, what javelin and what spear? Do you have sources?

We have really few actual hafts preserved from the period when javelins were actually widely used in Europe, so it's hard to say anything for sure.