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Plumbatae or mattiobarbuli were lead-weighted darts carried by ancient Roman infantry. The only written source for these tactical weapons is Vegetius, Epitome Rei Militari (1.17). Vegetius is the only source of military detail the other ancient authors passed over. The branches of the Roman military at the highest level were the Roman army and the Roman navy. ...
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The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire. ...
The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire. ...
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As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted a carrot and stick approach to military, with an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry and likewise a range of punishments for the punishment of military transgressions. ...
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Basic ideal plan of a Roman castrum. ...
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Roman military personal equipment was not of a better quality than that used by the majority of its adversaries[1]. It was however produced in large numbers to established patterns and used in an established way. ...
Root directory at Military history of ancient Rome Romes military was always tightly keyed to its political system. ...
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Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. ...
Vegetius (Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus) was a celebrated military writer of the 4th century. ...
Vegetius says:
- The exercise of the loaded javelins, called martiobarbuli, must not be omitted. We formerly had two legions in lllyricum, consisting of six thousand men each, which from their extraordinary dexterity and skill in the use of these weapons were distinguished by the same appellation. They supported for a long time the weight of all the wars and distinguished themselves so remarkably that the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian on their accession honored them with the titles of Jovian and Herculean and preferred them before all the other legions. Every soldier carries five of these javelins in the hollow of his shield. And thus the legionary soldiers seem to supply the place of archers, for they wound both the men and horses of the enemy before they come within reach of the common missile weapons.[1]
Plumbatae etymologically contain plumbum, or lead, and can be translated "lead-weighted (darts)". Martiobarbuli in this translation is mattiobarbuli in the Latin, which is most likely an assimilation of Martio-barbuli, "little barbs of Mars." The barb implied a barbed head, and Mars was the god of war (among other things). For the lead in news writing, see news style. ...
Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and either Jupiter or a magical flower. ...
Archaeology gives us a clearer picture of mattiobarbuli: the reference listed has an illustration of a find from Wroxeter identified as the head of a plumbata and a reconstruction of the complete weapon: a fletched dart with an iron head weighted with lead. The reconstruction seems entirely consistent with Vegetius' description. Wroxeter is a village in the county of Shropshire, England, on the east bank of the River Severn, at grid reference SJ563082. ...
See also
For the military of the East Roman Empire after the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, see Byzantine military The Military of ancient Rome (known to the Romans as the militia) relates to the combined military forces of Ancient Rome from the founding of the city of Rome to the...
Safety warning Lawn darts (also called Jarts or yard darts) is an outdoor game for two players or teams. ...
Notes
References
Primary sources (none yet)
Secondary sources - Connolly, Peter, Greece and Rome at War, Greenhill Books, 1998, ISBN 1-85367-303-X
- Degen, R. (1992): Plumbatae: Wurfgeschosse der Spätantike, in: Helvetia Archaeologica, vol. 23, pp. 139-147.
- Völling, T. (1991): 'Plumbata - Mattiobarbulus - Martzobarboulon? Bemerkungen zu einem Waffenfund aus Olympia' in: Archäologischer Anzeiger, pp. 287-98.
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