The Roman trooper typically carried at least one Pilum, a weapon as intrinsic to Roman combat tactics as the short sword. The Pilum had a long, relatively soft iron shaft which, though certainly capable of penetrating its intended target, was likely to bend on striking armour or the ground, thus making it useless to be thrown back. A common tactic when using the Pilum against troops with shields was to pierce the opponent’s shield, whereupon the shaft would bend, making extraction difficult. The opposing soldier, thus encumbered, was likely to throw down his shield, losing his defence against the infamous Roman short sword. Our Pilum is of the traditional flanged type and may be disassembled for ease or for transportation to events.
|
