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Originally Posted by Icelander
Isn't an atl-atl somewhat at odds with the very mobile style? I do think that the Threskeli ought to be mobile, but it seems that an atl-atl is much harder to use on the run than simply throwing a javelin.
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Good point
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While atl-atl and javelins does give you longer range than any enemies with just javelins, that isn't actually conductive to mobility if you have to keep your ammo on the ground. Not to mention that the shield is necessary while throwing weapons, because it's your best defence against return fire.
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Depending on how much social stratification they maintain, you might potentially have a split force; relatively poorly equipped spear-thrower/sheildman pairs, while those who can put together a hide-and horn corselet, or even a breastplate or the like, along with a decent shield and a passable Seax, Khyber knife, and/or short spear for melee charge in as shock troops in the wake of the missile storm. That may be beyond the bounds of the societies you're envisioning, though.
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They are cheaper, yes. Even so, the disadvantage of not being able to carry spare throwing weapons in the shield hand while you skirmish seems rather to damn them in any kind of skirmish warfare.
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This is a point, yes. I don't really have an answer for it. Looking at illustrations of peltasts, it looks like the shields were held with a single strap. It's not far-fetched that you could design them such that they could be strapped to the arm initially, but slid down to a buckler grip for close fighting, I suppose.
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The Sica of the Threskeli exist in versions down to a 6" blade. They also have a tradition of less pointedly curved single-edged tool knives, much like the seax.
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It's a common design for a reason.
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For hand-to-hand, I expect they see some use among the Rammanu and Assurites, at least. Probably less wealthy Threskeli too, though they are probably prone to larger chopping weapons than that.
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It's another classic peasant militia type of weapon.
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For some reason, all the axe-throwers in real history I can think of were rather more Northern-European. I wonder why that is?
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Good question; maybe javelins are at a disadvantage in the thick forests that were still very common at the time?