spear or pilum?

[Robert Vermaat]

I certainly did not suggest arguing against the point that hasta was a thrusting weapon - yes at times it was, just as at times pilum was a thrusting weapon. I suggest showing that hasta was not a javelin, since from how the discussion is phrased so far (including immediately above "and the hasta was clearly ALSO thrown" - of course it was if it was a javelin), I see the supposition that the aux. hasta was primarily a thrusting weapon. I would like to see someone believing that showing the evidence.

Well, showing the evidence may be diffficult because it would at best be a modern interpretation. This is however what my view is based on:

In design, I would venture that a pilum is designed for throwing, but also usable as a stabbing weapon. A hasta is (in my opinion) designed as a stabbing weapon (when you look at balance etc as well as the hefty spear head etc.) but also usable as a throwing weapon. Both are heavy rather than light spears.

Then there's what we might discern from the sources:
Vegetius, in describing a possible evolution, describes the pilum being supplanted by typical throwing weapons like the verutum and plumbata. That, too, suggests to me that the pilum was 'looked upon' as primarily a throwing weapon.

The hasta on the other hand seems mainly to be a synonym of a thrusting spear. True, the word itself could be used for any number of spears, but when a specific sort is mentioned, it's always the thrusting spear, whether a cavalry lance or an infantry spear. The word continues in use as a synonym until Byzantine times.