Pilum

The pilum (plural pila) was a heavy javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head. The iron shank may be socketed, but more usually widens to a flat tang; this was secured to a wooden shaft. A pilum usually weighed between two and five kilograms, with the versions produced during the Empire being a bit ... more

The pilum (plural pila) was a heavy javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head. The iron shank may be socketed, but more usually widens to a flat tang; this was secured to a wooden shaft. A pilum usually weighed between two and five kilograms, with the versions produced during the Empire being a bit lighter. Pictorial evidence suggests that some versions of the weapon were weighted by a lead ball to increase penetrative power, but no archeological specimens have been found. Recent experiments have shown pila to have a range of approximately 30 metres (98 ft), although effective range is up to 15–20 m (49–66 ft). Legionaries of the Late Republic and Early Empire often carried two pila, with one sometimes being lighter than the other. Standard tactics called for a Roman soldier to throw his pilum (both if there was time) at the enemy just... less