h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Roman spear, the Pilum, is frequently described as being 'designed to break or bend' on impact. The logic behind this is that they were either impossible to throw back, or would stick in an opponant's shield and make it much harder to use.

Research conducted by the celebrated illustrator, author and Experimental Archaeologist Peter Connolly has suggested that this may not have been the case. The relatively thin shaft, he argues, was designed to be streamlined and not fragile. The weapon was therefore intended to fly quickly and pierce shields and body armour. In other words, it was supposed to kill and not to hamper.

To support this theory, Mr Connelly has thrown numerous replica pilia at replica shields, with the result one would normally expect from a bullet. I would suggest that any hampering was an after effect.

Reference - Current Archaeology, number 177, p 376

thank you for that illuminating information. I am sure it will come in useful.
I am also an exile though from the other end - Cornwall

Thankyou for your Infomation. Ofcourse this seems like a very valid reason. i would sugest that possibly the Romans designed this weapon for both reasons, this would not be the first time they have had multi purpose equipment!
Lord Preston OMFC

You are probably right. Clever b*****s, those Romans.

they were. And they built things to last, not like today! you know in york there sewers are still operational? amazing!
Lord Preston OMFC

The thing is, when they do penetrate a shield, often they don't bend.

If the Romans wanted them to bend, I'm sure they would have made them so that the nearly always did.

Bez
(1st Century AD re-enactor)

After being on the receiving end of up to a thousand pilums (and was it the case that each Roman soldier carried up to three, therefore three volleys could be used to reduce the chosen target?)would you have had the presence of mind - always assuming you were still standing and capable - of looking for an intact pilum with the intent of throwing it back? Having aseen the saky darken for a few seconds with flung pilii, and then after seeing what they did to the guys you were standing with, instinct and every nerve in your body would be telling you to retreat and get out of range of the next volley.

Historically, isn't this the way Claudius' legions cleared the British opposition from the fords over the Thames? I recall reading that several volleys of pilii were used to seriously reduce a tight-packed British infantry formation denying the crossing point to the Romans; this was then followed up by a cavalry charge to rout the survivors.

I would suppose after the fighting, you'd have detachments of men at work retrieving pilii to be reconditioned and reissued - maybe for those that had bent and broken, the armourers would be standing by to repair them. Speed of retrieval and reissue to the troops would be paramount, so therefore not making them to bend under their own weight would be advisory?

I think you have a point there - several, in fact. Plus: provided you survived the volleys that were meant to break your formation you must be prepared for close combat. A shield with just a pilum point stuck in it, with the shaft broken off, is still serviceable - a shield with a six foot long handle out in front can easily be turned sideways by your opponents and you've had it. Can spoil your day for good methinks.



Pit