[gotorazor]

I mean, that's kind of what historians have to do. They have to extrapolate. Any event that happens in the past, you kind of have to. Even in relatively recent past. But yeah, I had the same question as well.

I am sure, a Roman soldier, in the centuries that the Pilum was in use, must have used one in a thrust and either killed or injured an enemy soldier. But based on the historical evidence he has, the Pilum was intended to be and probably mostly used as a throwing weapon.

That would be like a future historian asking whether WWI soldiers used their single-bolt rifles as clubs rather than as projectile weapons.

[rightbyte]

Sure ye agree.

> used their single-bolt rifles as clubs rather than as projectile weapons.

Bayonette charges were a thing though?

[cafard]

Not by the day of the magazine-fed rifle, no.

[rightbyte]

I didn't imply it was a good idea.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet

However, the article notes it was mainly a way of "sabre rattling".

[rascul]

Bayonet charges were done with magazine fed rifles in WW2 and the Korean war.