spear or pilum?

[Paullus Scipio]

I overlooked some rather misleading points here.....sorry to revive a subject where just about everything in favour of either point of view has been said.... :?
Robert wrote:-

I disagree. The word ‘kontos’, like you say, becomes the name of a 12 ft. cavalry spear.

...that is not what I said. 'Nickname' and 'name' in English have two completely different meanings, To say in slang that a cavalryman carried a 'bargepole' is a humourous reference to a large spear, not at all the same as a proper name for a 12 ft cavalry spear.

...or a long infantry spear. Both are thrusting weapons.

This is important. No ancient source demonstrably uses the term 'kontos' to mean an Infantry spear. This is pure supposition, based on the known cavalry weapon nickname, and Arrian and others use of the word. There is no connection, in fact. This is not "incorrect" as you claim.

And I’ve been quoting plenty of people who are at least contemplating the possibility.

....and I know plenty of people who are not only contemplating, but actually allege, the earth is flat ! :wink:
Don't make it so, though, Robert ! :lol: :lol: It all depends on their credibility...perhaps we will see more when you post the promised study on Arrian....

And that suddenly means that everywhere an author uses ‘kontos’ in an infantry connection, it means that they had a pilum in mind?

...of course, I agree with you here - not necessarily so, but in the context, a pilum is consistent with all the references each of us has referred to, but a 12ft cavalry spear is not....

So you ARE claiming that the legionary infantry carried the pilum or the lancea and that in your opinion there is no room for a suggestion of anything else.

...not at all, but the iconography/archaeology also happens to be consistent with pila/lancea armed legionaries, and no shred of evidence for legionaries armed with thick 12 ft cavalry spears.....
[quote]And furthermore, it never “came to be used as a translation of 'pilum'â€