Byzantine Weapons and Warfare

[Urselius]

Orliva - laudes to you.

We know that the menavlatoi were close-combat infantry and that one of their main functions was dealing with enemy heavy cavalry. Normal spears, kontaria, were more than adequate to fend off cavalry. However, when there was a cavalry breakthrough a different type of weapon was called for.

From historical precident we know a number of weapons which were used for this purpose. Aurelian's auxiliaries used metal headed clubs (maces by any other name) to deal with Palmyran cataphracts. In the late Middle Ages/Renasissance the Swiss and Landsknechts used pikes to fend off cavalry but they used troops armed with bills, halberds and two-handed swords to kill heavily armoured men-at-arms when they came to close quarters after the momentum of their charge had been halted.

All these weapons have a heavy head and a cutting or crushing ability. As you say an axe-head on a pole would surely have attracted some direct description therefore a heavy, broad spearhead with an ability to cut as well as thrust seems to me to be the most likely form for the menavlion to take.