Type of javelin used by the Roman auxiliary soldiers
The lancea was a javelin used in ancient Rome. According to the "Oxford English Dictionary", the word originally came from the Celtiberian language, also cf. λόγχη ("lonche"), the Greek term for lance. One kind of "lancea", possibly known as the "lancea pugnatoria" or "the fighting lance" was used as a thrusting weapon by cavalrymen. This weapon was used by cavalrymen as it was lighter and easier to use than the "pilum". The "lancea" was also used by auxiliaries. legionaries would use the "lancea" if the occasion called for it. Arrian equipped his army with the weapon during a battle with the Alans. Soldiers that used it were known as "lancearii". It is unclear how the "lancea" was distinguished from the "hastae". Many "lancea" had "amenta", although not all. This kind of javelin also had short wooden shafts and small leaf-shaped metal heads. Sometimes the heads had elongated points which may have been used to increase the penetration of the spear.
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