The weighted pilum (plural pila), which appeared between AD 50-100, was a further development of the heavy javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. A round brass weight was added to the shaft just below the tapered part of the spear handle (the overall dimensions remaining about two meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head). The pilum was thrown just as the legionaries charged, and the extra weight added to the new pilum increased the penetrating power of the small bullet shaped metal point, allowing it to more efficiently penetrate shields and armour and cause serious injury to the enemy. In the event of it striking a shield but not causing injury, the shape of the tip made it very difficult to remove. The shield now became impossible to manoeuvre, due to the weight of the wooden shaft, and would very likely be discarded - leaving its owner vulnerable at a critical moment. Finally, because of the narrowness of the soft iron shank and the weight of the wooden shaft, the shank bent on impact. This meant that the enemy was not able to throw it back at its owner. However, after the battle, the Romans could collect the 'used' pila for their blacksmiths to straighten #Ancient #Armor #Army #Javelin #Legion #Legionary #Military #Roman #Rome #Soldier #Spear #Weapon
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