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LOT 1020
Roman Iron Military Plumbata Head
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 in. (116 grams, 19 cm).
Missile weapon with short iron shaft and square-section barbed head, lead sleeve to the lower end of the shaft. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of B. Posey, UK, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Southern, P. & Dixon, K.R., The Late Roman Army, London, 1996, fig.46, pp.113-115; See Barker, P., The plumbatae from Wroxeter, in Hassall and Ireland, De Rebus Bellicis, BAR Int. Ser., vol. 63, Oxford, 1979.
FootnotesThe lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae, (or breasted javelin) were short darts mounted upon a shaft, of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 meters by trained soldiers. They could also be fixed upon longer shafts.
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