Pilum

The pilum is a model of heavy Javelot used by the Roman legions.

Not to confuse it with the Lance, hasta in the Roman armament.

Technical description

In the beginning, this weapon was Samnite. It was normally composed of an iron of at least a score of centimetres length, of which the hollow part received a wood handle firmly fixed by two iron ankles. This fixing was then replaced by ankle out of iron and another out of wood: at the time of the impact in a Shield, the latter broke releasing the Hampe which hung then towards the ground. The legionary, could then put the foot on the pole, to force his enemy to be discovered, by lowering his shield. If the pilum did not achieve its goal, it broke nevertheless, preventing that the enemies of the Romans do not collect it with ground for theirs to return.

Launching of the pilum

The handling of the pilum was not described by the old authors. Its mode of launching by legionaries in tight formation is difficult to imagine: a movement of impulse is necessary, either by swinging of the arm and the bust, or by taking one or more step of dash. In both cases, this gesture is not realizable if the legionaries are in tight rows the ones behind the others. Various operations can be imagined (connecting advances, launching, fold), all implying a strong coordination, acquired by a drive précis.
It is understood that the centurion primipile which ordered this operation has the most rank among the centurions.

Effect of the pilum

Jules César in his Commentaires on the War of Gaules described the effectiveness of the pilum to break the dash of the unfavourable loads, by transpiercing the shields of the attackers, or nailing them one with the other if the adversaries had adopted a formation in tortoise (delivers I, Bataille against Helvètes ).

Each legionary carried usually two pilums ( crushed ). Once the first planted in the Shield of an unfavourable combatant, this one was handicapped in its movements by the handle of the pilum, generally obliging it to continue the combat without protection.

Abandonment of the pilum

At the end of the 3rd century, with the development of the units of cavalry and the auxiliary units recruited among barbarians and having their own armament, the use of the pilum rarefied then disappeared.

In Latin, plural is crushed , but in French plural can be written pilums .

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