Pilum

The Pilum is a javelin used to kill an enemy at medium to short range. Often Romans carried two of these as one would be thrown before impact. The Pilums were used to stick out from under the wall of shields to deliver a blow to the enemy while undercover. These javelins were cleverly designed so that when it is thrown and it hits and shield, the end of the shaft will bend on impact stopping the enemy from picking it up and throwing it back. When a Pilum hits a shield, it sticks to it causing the shield bearer to feel very uncomfortable, unbalanced and sometimes caused them to drop the shield.