Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas
Standard toys of death of the well equiped roman soldier...


Pilum - The famous javelin of the Roman war machine. All soldiers carried these, as they aproached the enemy they would launch these enmase into the enemy ranks before engaging.

Gladius - The standard Roman sword, short of blade but well made of iron or steel in later periods. This sword was primarilly a thrusting weapon, it was designed to utilize the rigid formation of the legion rapidly thrusting out behind a line of shields like a bunch of stinging teeth as the legion advanced over the top of their enemies.

Drusus - The sword of the officers, nearly always made of steel, generally more refined, nearly always steel bladed, and often adorned with artsy options. However, this blade was nearly the same as the gladius, it was the smae size, just the caddy model.

Spatha - The Roman cavalry sword, the direct ancestor of the long sword of the middle ages, the link of cavalry and the long bladed sword is obvious. Longer heavier made for slashing attacks bringing the sweet spot of the blade down upon infantry from the saddle or the chariot. This steel bladed weapon was quickly copied and adopted as the favorite weapon of most barbarians the Romans confronted, particuarily the Goths; who inturn passed this new toy on to the north and east.

Spear - a primary weapon of Rome just as it was the backbone of every military from antiquity to the early modern period.

Romans also employed slings, al-ah- David and Goliath fame, Romans used small balls of lead for greater range and accuracy, they called these projectiles: bullets.

Composite or Horn Bows - The standard bow of the romans were short powerful bows made of a combination of wood and horn or bone, giving it a permanent curved shape, though only specialists within the Roman army were equiped with these, most of them went to chariotiers. Bows were expensive to opperate.


~LT~
Bows were also largely regarded as useless for military work until after the fall of the Western Empire. It wasn't the cost so much as the method of use; Bows were generally pulled to the shoulder rather than the eye, resulting in greater power but significantly reduced accuracy. This was changed around the 4th century AD, and the later Byzantine soldiery, the Cataphracts, were accomplished bowmen.
Slingers, particularly the specialist slingers from the Balearic Islands, were extremely respected, and performed the function of sharpshooters, taking down enemy officers and sowing confusion among the enemy.