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Is there any weapon/armour the Romans invented ?
#1
Avete,<br>
<br>
I was wondering if there's a weapon or armor that the Romans could claim to be of their own invention ? Most if not all of their gear was adopted/borrowed/stolen from their enemies.<br>
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Is the pilum a Roman invention ?<br>
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How about segmented armour ? I know they weren't the first to pioneer it, but to my knowledge they were the first to create a complete segmented cuirass.<br>
<br>
-Theo <p></p><i></i>
Jaime
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#2
The scorpio? Or was that an adaptation of someone else's invention? <p></p><i></i>
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
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#3
The scorpio is merely a small version of the two-armed torsion artillery invented by the Greeks. The Greek catapult found at Ampurias in Spain could be rightly considered a scorpio.<br>
<br>
The pila and the tall curve sided scutum both seem to have originated in Italy, though perhaps not specifically "Roman".<br>
<br>
The origins of Lorica Segmentatae are still a mystery, but segmented type armors appear as captured spoils, presumabley from the sarmatians, suggesting it may have had its origins among the steppe Nomads or Parthians. Perhaps it was originally brought to the west after Marc Antony's Parthian war, for we first see it in a Roman context in the time of Augustus.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>
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#4
The <em>plumbata</em> or <em>martiobarbulus</em>, the lead-weighted throwing dart. <p>Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert<br>
[url=http://www.fectio.org.uk/" target="top]fectienses seniores[/url]</p><i></i>
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#5
Actually, from what I have read, the Pilum, as a non reusable weapon comes from Roman experiences with Iberian tribes who used weapondry very similar in concept. <p></p><i></i>
[Image: ebusitanus35sz.jpg]

Daniel
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#6
Quote:</em></strong><hr>Actually, from what I have read, the Pilum, as a non reusable weapon comes from Roman experiences with Iberian tribes who used weapondry very similar in concept.<hr><br>
<br>
Really? I understood they'd adopted them from the Samnites of Italy. <p>Homo Homini Lupus Every Man is a Wolf to Another Man</p><i></i>
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#7
I read that the pilum was an Etruscan weapon. Didn't the Celt-Iberians adopt the light pilum from the Romans? <p></p><i></i>
Paul Basar - Member of Wildfire Game\'s Project 0 AD
Wildfire Games - Project 0 A.D.
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#8
I’ve been bouncing around the idea of possible Parthian influence on the lorica segmentata for a while now, but it’s really little more than speculation. Almost no Parthian military equipment survives. However, there was a rather sophisticated laminated plate shoulder guard found at Ai Khanoum dated to about 150 BC (Greco Bactrian but probably under strong Parthian influence) that might suggest a connection with the segmentata. However, the shoulder guard seems to have been intended for use with a scale cuirass. Also, I don’t know enough about the segmentata to speculate on how closely related the two might be. However, there was also a complete laminated leg guard found at Ai Khanoum, and its construction suggests a close relation to surviving examples of Roman laminated limb guards.<br>
<br>
Gregg<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#9
According to Livy (if I remember correctly), the pilum and the scutum come from the sumnites.<br>
<br>
More news can be found here:<br>
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More details on this page (in italian):<br>
xoomer.virgilio.it/davmon...uer2a.html <p></p><i></i>
Luca Bonacina
Provincia Cisalpina - Mediolanum
www.cisalpina.net
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#10
The pilum seems to be an Italic invention, and was adopted along with the manipular style of fighting. Weapons and armor tend to be very much related to the style of fighting employed. Phalanx warfare requires a big shield and long spear; the maniple is more flexible. <p></p><i></i>
Dan Diffendale
Ph.D. candidate, University of Michigan
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#11
Hi, acording to the literature I have here, as it seems, the Iberian "Phalarica" was the first descartable lance with possible repair after the battle. The idea behind this weapon was the same of the Pilum with a bendable tip and even the central lead weight.<br>
Its discovery as a misile and its efectivity made Scipo Africanus one of its greatest fans who introduced the weapon to his army in its fight against the Iberian Chieftains Indibil and Mandonio after the end of the second Punic War. <p></p><i></i>
[Image: ebusitanus35sz.jpg]

Daniel
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