Verutum
Encyclopedia
The verutum, or plural veruta was a short javelin
used in the Roman army
. This javelin was used by the velites
for skirmishing unlike the heavier pilum
used by the hastati
and principes
for softening the enemy before advancing into close combat. The verutum's shaft was about 1.1 meters long, much shorter than the 2 meters pilum, and its point measured about 13 centimeters long. The verutum had either an iron shank like the pilum or a tapering metal head.
The verutum was adopted from the Samnites and the Volsci
. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC Roman light infantry known as velites would carry seven veruta into combat, proving to be quite effective weapons, even against war elephants as proven in the battle of Zama
. In the late 2nd century BC the verutum was taken out of service along with the velite but the javelin was taken back into the legionary arsenal during the Late Empire.
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
used in the Roman army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
. This javelin was used by the velites
Velites
Velites were a class of infantry in the Polybian legions of the early Roman republic. Velites were light infantry and skirmishers who were armed with a number of light javelins, or hastae velitares, to fling at the enemy, and also carried short thrusting swords, or gladii for use in melee...
for skirmishing unlike the heavier pilum
Pilum
The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
used by the hastati
Hastati
Hastatii were a class of infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic who originally fought as spearmen, and later as swordsmen. They were originally some of the poorest men in the legion, and could afford only modest equipment — light armour and a large shield, in their service as the...
and principes
Principes
Principes were spearmen, and later swordsmen, in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were men in the prime of their lives who were fairly wealthy, and could afford decent equipment. They were the heavier infantry of the legion who carried large shields and wore good quality armour. Their...
for softening the enemy before advancing into close combat. The verutum's shaft was about 1.1 meters long, much shorter than the 2 meters pilum, and its point measured about 13 centimeters long. The verutum had either an iron shank like the pilum or a tapering metal head.
The verutum was adopted from the Samnites and the Volsci
Volsci
The Volsci were an ancient Italic people, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. They then inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the south, the Hernici on the east, and stretching roughly from...
. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC Roman light infantry known as velites would carry seven veruta into combat, proving to be quite effective weapons, even against war elephants as proven in the battle of Zama
Battle of Zama
The Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the final and decisive end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated a Carthaginian force led by the legendary commander Hannibal...
. In the late 2nd century BC the verutum was taken out of service along with the velite but the javelin was taken back into the legionary arsenal during the Late Empire.
See also
- Pole weaponPole weaponA pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range. Spears, glaives, poleaxes, halberds, and bardiches are all varieties of polearms...
- JavelinJavelinA Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
- PilumPilumThe pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
- LanceaLanceaThe lancea was the Roman auxiliaries' short javelin. According to the OED, the word originally came from the Iberian Language , also cf longche, the Greek term for lance. On Spike TV's show Deadliest Warrior, the lancea was the Celt's mid-range weapon....
- SpiculumSpiculumA spiculum is a late Roman spear that replaced the pilum at around AD 250 as the infantryman's main throwing javelin. Scholars suppose that it could have resulted from the gradual combination of the pilum and two German spears, the angon and the bebra. As more and more Germans joined the Roman army...
- Roman military personal equipment