en
Download

Military

How long is a Roman pilum?

A Roman pilum is about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long.

What is measured: Roman legionary javelin, overall length

Roman Pilum (2 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Roman Pilum (2 m), Doorway (2 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About 3 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About the height of a doorway
  • About 1.2× the height of an adult person
  • About 6 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 5.2× the height of a bowling pin

Learn

Facts about Roman Pilum

The pilum was designed with a soft iron shank that bent on impact, making it hard for enemies to throw back.

Source: British Museum: Roman Pilum

Military

NameSizeCompared with Roman Pilum
Barrett M82 Sniper Rifle1.45 m (4 ft 9 in)0.72×
WWI Trench Mortar1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)0.75×
FIM-92 Stinger Missile1.52 m (5 ft)0.76×
M9A1 Bazooka1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)0.78×
M2 Browning Machine Gun1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)0.82×
Napoleon 12-Pounder Cannon1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)0.83×
Suit of Medieval Plate Armor1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)0.88×
English Longbow1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)0.9×
Roman Pilum2 m (6 ft 7 in)this page
WWII Pillbox Bunker3 m (9 ft 10 in)1.5×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Roman Pilum or M2 Browning Machine Gun?

Topics

More sizes like this