Roman Weapons

  • The Roman Legionary always carried a standard selection of weapons.
  • These consisted of a shield with several darts, a javelin, a broadsword and a dagger.

Standard Weapons of the Roman Legionary

  • Scutum Roman Shield:
    • The shield was a large curved rectangle, about 3 ft 5″ (1.06m) high and 2 ft 6″ (0.86m) around the curve. It was made of a laminate composition using three sheets of wood glued together. The shield only weighed 10 kgs, so it could be held with one hand, and completely covered the Legionary’s body. A boss in the centre meant it could also be used as a weapon to knock down an opponent.
  • Pilum Roman Javelin:
    • Used as a missile to break the enemy shield wall. The Legionary often carried two types: heavy and light. The light Pilum was designed to bend on impact so as not to be reusable by the enemy, whereas the heavy pilum was designed to penetrate.
    • Effective range 108 ft (33m). The pyramidal tip would embed itself in the enemy’s shield and weigh it down, forcing the soldier to discard his shield, or stumble if he was moving forwards. This made him vulnerable to a second volley of Javelins.
  • Gladius Roman Broadsword:
    • Traditional Legionary sword, up to 2 ft 7″ (80cm) long, used during the Roman Republic and the Early Empire.
    • The Legionaries wore their swords on the right, whereas the Centurions (Officers) wore their swords on the left.
    • Roman Swords were manufactured in Toledo, Iberia and Austria using Noric steel.
  • Spatha Roman Longsword:
    • Up to 3 ft 3″ (1m) long, it was carried by the Roman Auxiliaries, and from the second century CE, it gradually replaced the Gladius used by the Legionaries.
  • Pugio Roman Dagger:
    • Pointed weapon with a broad blade, up to 11″ (28cm) long, and used for stabbing.
  • Plumbata Roman Dart:
    • Lead weighted projectile with an iron head. Up to five could be attached inside the Legionary’s shield. Used mostly during the Late Roman Empire.

Other Roman Weapons

  • Crossbows:
    • The Arcuballista or Manuballista .
    • These were handheld arrow firing weapons with two types:
      • The Torsion Crossbow
      • Winched pullback crossbow.
  • Bow, Archer.
  • Sling, Slingers and lead bullets.
    • Sometimes the bullets carried an inscription.
  • Polybolos
    • The Polybolos was a Repeating Catapult or Ballista used in Ancient Greece and described by Philon of Byzantium (c.280-220 BCE) as using a chain drive to fire multiple bolts per minute.
    • It was the Machine Gun of the Ancient World.
    • Although no Polybolos has been ever discovered, one of the skeletons belonging to a defender excavated at Maiden Castle in Britain, was found to have a bolt in his spine, thought by archeologists to have been fired from a Polybolos.

Heat based Weapons

  • Fire:
    • Simple fires were created in mining tunnels under defending city walls, to heat the walls and make them collapse. Fires could also be made on the side of a wall to make it shatter and collapse.
  • Hot Oil:
    • Hot Oil was used in Naval Battles and in Sieges.
    • In 67 CE Josephus described the Siege by three Legions of Jotapata (Yodfat), which was conquered after 47 days and 40,000 of its inhabitants slain. During the Siege, the Romans poured Hot Oil on the defenders, which penetrated their armour.
  • Firepots:
    • Containing Pitch, Sulphur and Bitumen would be ignited and launched by Catapult.
  • Flaming Arrows or Spears:
    • The Romans used iron boxes or tubes filled with flaming materials and then attached them to arrows or spears.
  • Grenades:
    • Early grenades consisted of hand held containers containing burning materials that covered an enemy with fire. They could also be launched from Catapults.
  • The Defense against Fire:
    • To defend against Fire, the Romans covered their wooden Siege Machines in raw skins soaked in vinegar and packed with seaweed.

 

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