Verutum
| Verutum | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | spear |
| Use: | Weapon of war |
| Creation time: | approx. 400 BC Chr. |
| Working time: | approx. 400 BC BC - AD 600 |
| Region of origin / author: |
Northern Italy, Samnites |
| Distribution: | Roman Empire |
| Overall length: | 110 cm |
| Blade length: | 13-15 cm |
| Handle: | Wood, leather, metal |
| Particularities: | Some verutums were equipped with weights that increased penetration and stabilized the flight path. |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Verutum (pl. Veruta ), also Verriculum , was a short spear in the Roman legion. The name comes from Latin and means something like "spit". It was mainly used by the lightly armed as a main weapon.
Description and application
The verutum was a spear about 1–1.2 meters long. The main part of the weapon, the wooden stick in the middle, was thinner than that of the pilum . The length of the iron tip was 13-15 cm. Unlike the Pilum, it was not used by legionaries but by lightly armed troops like the Velites . Compared to the Pilum it had the advantage of being very light, so that you could take several of them with you on the battlefield (with Velites it was 3–4, which he held behind his shield with his left hand). It was less powerful than the Pilum, but the Verutum also posed a serious threat to lightly or unarmored units.
history
The verutum was originally used in the 4th century BC. Used by the other Italian peoples, such as the Samnites and the Volscores . Then it came into the Roman Legion, where it proved to be a very effective weapon against war elephants in the Punic Wars. In the late 2nd century AD, the weapon disappeared from the battlefield with the Velites, but was still stored in Roman weapons arsenals and used by other units such as the auxiliary troops .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Handbook of Roman Antiquities, Volume 5, by Joachim Marquardt, Verlag: S. Hirzel, page 607.
literature
- Handbook of Roman Antiquities , Volume 5, by Joachim Marquardt, Publisher: S. Hirzel