Gladius vs Pilum - What's the difference?
gladius | pilum |
(historical) A Roman sword roughly two feet long.
* 1882 , "", Popular Science Monthly , Volume 21, page 81:
* 2007 , Pat Southern, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History , page 212:
(zoology) A pen, the internal skeleton of squid made of chitin-like material.
A Roman military javelin.
* 1776' Besides a lighter spear, the Roman legionary grasped in his right hand the formidable '''pilum , a ponderous javelin whose utmost length was about six feet and which was terminated by a massy triangular point of steel of about eighteen inches. This instrument was indeed much inferior to our modern fire-arms; since it was exhausted by a single discharge at the distance of only ten or twelve paces. Yet when it was launched by a skilled and firm hand, there was not any cavalry that durst venture within its reach, or any shield or corslet that could withstand the impetuosity of its weight. : ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire : Edward Gibbon. This edition Penguin 2000. p. 21
As nouns the difference between gladius and pilum
is that gladius is (historical) a roman sword roughly two feet long while pilum is a roman military javelin.gladius
English
Noun
(en-noun)- Finally, the Romans made the gladius —sharp, of highly-tempered steel, and strongly piercing—the first real sword (Figs. 17, 18, 19), of which only five specimens are now known to exist.
- The gladius was effective either for cutting or for thrusting and was used by legionaries and auxiliaries.