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Two German Captives Seated in an Attitude of Mourning at the Base of a Trophy of Captured Arms on the Reverse of an Antoninianus of Probus
Examples of a Roman cuirass, shields, and possibly a pot helmet are clearly visible in this image. Strangely enough, the spear shown has a broad head. The pilum, a throwing javelin with an iron or mild steel head and a long, thin, soft iron socketed base and hardwood shaft which was commonly used by the Roman legionary in warfare is not depicted in this panoply of arms. Curiously, the broad headed or barbed spear appears on many coin reverses depicting Roman arms, yet the author has never seen the pilum as such depicted. The pilum was a highly specialized weapon whose purpose was to render an enemy's shield useless and it was almost universally used by the regular infantry legionaries from the First Century B. C. until the late Third Century A. D. Perhaps the depicting of a broad headed spear on coins is intended to have more symbolic than illustrative value.
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