10-29-2011, 06:38 PM
I think that Christian has said it well for this was one of the main functions of the Pilum with it's barbed or pyramid head, it locked itself into a shield and with around seven feet of this sticking out of the shield rendered it useless and had to be thown away leaving the oncoming enemy naked and without protection.
They were therefore riveted together very well indeed and I would think it's not the idea of the iron shaft bending at all, but the fact that it has gone thro' the shield and there is no time to get it out before contact with the Roman frontage of a solid shield wall.
They were therefore riveted together very well indeed and I would think it's not the idea of the iron shaft bending at all, but the fact that it has gone thro' the shield and there is no time to get it out before contact with the Roman frontage of a solid shield wall.
Brian Stobbs
