Weapons Systems
Pilum
Latin, approximately PEE-loom (plural pila)
Ancient, Roman Republic
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The pilum was a javelin used by Roman legionaries, built with a hard pyramidal iron tip on a shank that could bend or otherwise become unusable once it struck, so an enemy could not simply throw it back, and if it lodged in a shield its weight and awkward angle often forced the bearer to discard the shield rather than fight on with it. Standard tactics called for legionaries to throw one, or both if time allowed, immediately before closing to fight hand to hand with the gladius.
Facts
Weapon ClassJavelin (heavy throwing spear) 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
Open Questions (1 open question)
When and from whom did the Roman army adopt the pilum?
The pilum is securely attested by the late Roman Republic, but its origin is not: proposed sources range from the Samnites to the Iberian peninsula to independent Roman development, separated by centuries, and no single dated origin is established in the literature consulted.
What would resolve this Dated archaeological finds of proto-pilum weapons from the proposed source cultures, or a textual source describing its adoption that predates the surviving accounts.
History of ancient weapons and technologyWikipedia: Pilum
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