Finding Authentic Roman Weapons for Collection

If you are seeking to learn more about Roman weapons, or would like to buy one for your costume or collection, then this article will tell you how to find them and what to know about them before purchasing one.

There are three main types of weapons that the Romans used in their army.  The first and probably their trademark weapon was the pilum.  This weapon was a version of a spear, except it was more advanced than that.  It was the first thing they got rid of before taking the enemy head on.  It was thrown at them when they got in distance like a javelin making Roman weapons like this very effective.  However, the cool part was that there was a connector pin made out of soft iron that was meant to break on contact of the enemy (or ground if missed).  This was so the enemy could not pick them up and throw it back.  Each soldier carried up to three or so pila to throw at the enemy before engaging them in hand to hand combat.

The next weapon is probably the most famous, and it was the Roman gladius sword.  This short stabbing sword was the bread and butter of the legions, and it was excellent in close quarters combat.  Used mainly as a thrusting sword, it was very hard to deflect and defend against, and it could be wielded quickly.

The last weapon that most soldiers carried was the Pugio dagger.  This short sword (I mean really short, probably no more than 14 in long) was used as a last resort if they were disarmed of their gladius or pilum.  It was great to be used in conjunction with their shield.  These three weapons were part of the reason why the Roman army was so successful.