Verutum?

[Robert Vermaat]

It means I can indulge in the colourful side of the 4th century AD and all the lovely weapons swords, knifes, spears ect The picture was taken at Binchester Co Durham
Regards Brennivs

I'm note sure if it is, but I would call it a verutum, something that was reputed to be the Late Roman successor to the pilum.

About that twisted shaft, do you have any idea why they did that? Some say it strengthened the metal (it was compared to a cooking iron(?) )

[Nicholas Gaukroger]

Doesn't good old Vegetius say the pilum was now called the spiculum and that the verutum was lighter?

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Isnt this a Germanic weapon called a angon sometimes?

[brennivs - tony drake]

The picture is of a Vervta ,they have been found with a straight shank as well as the twisted version for which I have no clue why it was made that way,but it looks nice. I have made quite a few shafted weapons soliferrum, Republican light and heavy pila, imperial pila, hasta,Carvoran spearhead, spiculum,verutum,angon plus others .The verutum is a short weapon with either a triangler or square head of 4-5 inchs long. This is what the difference that I worked out as what they were a number of years ago it can be confusing :? D D

[Robert Vermaat]

Isnt this a Germanic weapon called a angon sometimes?

The angon has a slender head and a very long iron shaft, which causes it to be regarded as the germanic version of the pilum.

[brennivs - tony drake]

Pavlvs this is my Angon the iron shaft is 31" long and total length is over 7ft long

[Salvianus]

We would call the first picture a spiculum, assuming it's on a shaft about 5'6" long, with the head 8 inches+ long. We copy a slightly longer example from South Shields. I haven't seen one with a twisted shank.

We reconstruct veruta (much like Fectio?) at 5" long on a shaft just over 3'6" long (I know Bishop & Coulston say 9", but I have "ferro unciarum quinque"):
verutum

[brennivs - tony drake]

This is the problem that I found when researching this. The Veruta I found is in Late Roman Infantry also an Alamannic grave find my Spiculum is a smaller version of a Pila most confusing :? ?

[John Conyard]

I think it's safe to go with Vegetius on this. The spiculum replaces the Pilum and the verutum is a smaller cheaper weapon. Vegetius also gives us the overall length of such weapons.

Twisting the metal shank is more work so maybe it a status thing. The twisted area of iron doesn't seem to bend when they hit targets, but still allow the iron shank to slip nicely into the shield.

The heads often seem to mirror the larger plumbata heads, Tony has a real harpoon here!