Weaponry

__Hannah Brock__
 * __ Roman Military Weapons __**

__Intro__ The soldiers of the Roman army were often equipped with the same materials, down form the uniform to the weapons that they carried. Roman soldiers often carried several different weapons including javelins, swords, daggers, and shields. For each object there is a roman name. For example the Javelin is called Pilum.

__Pilum__ (Javelin) The //pilum// has two parts for the iron head. The lower end and it’s ten inch long point. The lower end was hammers out to provoke a socket for the shaft while the long point was left in the original state. A leather thong attacked to the wooden shaft at the  p  oint of balance, causing it to fly through the air like a bullet ejected from a spiral barrel, with a spinning motion. This added impetus and penetration to its fight. It was a highly effective weapon in battle and had a range of about ninety feet. It was a weapon that was thrown and if the enemy was able to halt the //pilum// with the shield, it was stuck at an angle, and the enemy was no longer able to use the shield nor throw the //pilum// back, because it was bent and bucked. For another effect, if the //pilum// missed the enemy’s body and shield and hit the ground instead it still could not be thrown back.

 __Gladius (Sword__) The next weapon was a short sword, also called a g//ladius//. The //gladius// is only two feet long with a short two-inch-wide blade possessing a     double edge, used for cutting and thrusting. The legionary normally used it in this way rather than stabbing. The bone handle is notched with a groove,  allowing a sturdy grip. Also, it was topped with a round or a square pommel. The //gladius// was normally held within a wooden scabbard, reinforced with metal at top and bottom, placed out of the upper part of the right side of his body. Normally this would look like a difficult place to put it but it kept the scabbard and the sword away from the arm that held the shield. More importantly it prevented them from tangling in his legs. __Pugio (Dagger)__ Another weapon stored for the roman soldiers was the //pugio//, or a short, leaf-shaped dagger. It was normally placed on the left side of the body, normally used for hand-to-hand combat if the sword was lost. However, it was often times used as a knife. The placement of the //pugio// prevented it from bothering the shield, which was carried on the left arm.

__Conclusion__ These were merely the weapons that accompanied the soldiers of the Roman army while many more were invented through out the Empire, being the violence-loving land that it was. However, these weapons remained with the military soldiers and normally not the common people of the Roman empire, however much violence was loved.

__ Bibliography __ : 1)Grant, Michael. __The Army of the Caesars__. New York: Michael Grant Publications Ltd, 1974 2) http://www.legionxxiv.org/weapons/ 3) http://www.gnwtc.com/wea1491.JPG  4) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Pugio_175_aC.jpg