Pilum effects on Phalanx?

[M. Demetrius]

My personal opinion: The pila didn't affect the phalanx all that much because the men in the front ranks were armored and because they were a professional warriors and wont stop quit and bitch out just because they got struck with a javelin (or sling bullet or arrow).

A pilum that weighs around a kilo, with it's tip being about 1/4 mm, flying through the air after having been thrown by another professional warrior is not really something someone could overlook. It's pretty certain that if it hit any unarmored part of the body, it would penetrate quite easily. And the shock at the end of the shaft, when the wood part stopped its forward momentum would knock most people off their feet. It doesn't matter how tough the warrior is, a punctured lung, abdomen or neck will take him out of the fight.

BTW, Eddie Feigner, of "King and his court" fame, is recorded as pitching a softball 104 or 105mph. Underhand.