Plumbata

One of the Ancient Roman weapons we want to introduce to you is Plumbata. In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, infantrymen carried lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae or martiobarbuli. The first examples appear to have been carried by the Ancient Greeks around 500 BC, but the late Roman and Eastern Roman armies were the most well-known users.

An image of a plumbatae can be found in the anonymous treatise De Rebus Bellicis. The image depicts a short arrow with a weight attached to the shaft. Although only later copies of the original manuscript exist, this is confirmed by the archaeological remains that have so far been discovered.

Plumbatae is derived from the Latin word plumbum, which means "lead-weighted darts." In this translation, Martiobarbuli is mattiobarbuli in Latin, which is most likely an amalgamation of Martio-barbuli, "small barbs of Mars." Mars, the god of war, was represented by the barb (among other things).

Archaeology provides a more complete picture of martiobarbuli. The reference includes a picture of a Wroxeter item described as a plumbata head and a reconstruction of the entire weapon: a fletched dart with an iron head weighted with lead. The reconstruction appears to be completely congruent with Vegetius' description. Later in the Middle Ages, war darts were also utilized in Europe.