Ca. 100-300 AD. Roman. An iron pilum spearhead with a barbed, triangular blade, a long, narrow neck, and a robust flaring socket, together with a conical iron spear base on a custom-made stand. 'Pila' were a key part of Roman military equipment and were used by the empire's legionaries as throwing weapons preceding a charge which ended in close quarters combat. It is partially thanks to this type of spear that Rome was able to control an empire that reached from north-western Europe to the Near East. For more information on Roman weaponry, see Bishop, M., Coulston, J. (2006). Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, Second Edition. Oxford; Havertown, PA: Oxbow Books. Size: L:set of 2: 100mm, 262mm / W:23mm, 36mm ; 230g. Provenance: From the private collection of an Oxford gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.