Speer - Pilum, Speerschleuder, Ger, Frame, Ango, Plumbata, Assegai, Soliferrum, Verutum, Spiculum, Harpune, Tepoztopilli, Dorua (English, German, Paperback)

Aus Wikipedia. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: 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 before charging to engage with his gladius. They could also be used in hand to hand combat, or as a barrier against mounted charges. Some pila had small hand-guards, to protect the wielder if he intended to use it as a melee weapon, but it does not appear that this was common. Marching SoldiersThe late Roman writer Vegetius, in his work De Re Militari, wrote: As to the missile weapons of the infantry, they were javelins headed with a triangular sharp iron, eleven inches (279 mm) or a foot long, and were called piles. When once fixed in the shield it was impossible to draw them out, and when thrown with force and skill, they penetrated the cuirass without difficulty.And later in the same work: They had likewise two other javelins, the largest of which was composed of a staff five feet and a half long and a triangular head of iron nine inches (229 mm) long. This was formerly called the pilum, but now it is kno...http://booksllc.net/?l=de