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A plumb bob. A plumb bob, plumb bob level, or plummet, is a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, suspended from a string and used as a vertical direction as a reference line, or plumb-line. It is a precursor to the spirit level and used to establish a vertical datum. It is typically made of stone, wood, or lead, but can also be ...
Pilum. The pilum (Latin: [ˈpiːɫʊ̃]; pl.: pila) was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm (0.28 in) in diameter and 600 mm (24 in) long with a pyramidal head, attached to a wooden shaft by either a socket or a flat tang.
The pilum was a short-range javelin with an effective range of about 15 meters (50 ft), but could also be used as a spear in situations where an enemy had to be held back. [44] It was hurled at the enemy formations right before the charge and this hail of javelins was intended to break the force of the enemy charge as well as demoralize the ...
A sturdy pilum that does not bend upon impact would be in line with the numerous historical Roman writings that state the pilum was often used as a weapon in melee combat: For example, in "The Gallic Wars" Caesar writes that at Alesia his troops used the pila as spears or pikes. In the "Life of Pompey" and "Life of Antony", Plutarch describes ...
A plumbline is a string with a lead (Latin plumbum) weight (or plumb bob), used to provide a vertical reference line. It may also refer to: The Plumbline, a joke newspaper produced by the McMaster Engineering Society; the vertical direction, a line orthogonal to the geoid, as used in geodesy
By the time the volley of pila had reached the enemy line (usually only fifteen yards distant for best effect), the legionaries were charging and very quickly at work with their swords. There was rarely any time for the foe to find a pilum, pull it out of whatever it had hit and throw it back. [9] The formation and alignment of hastati
Modern reconstruction of the heavy pilum according to Polybius' specifications has shown that it would have weighed some 8.5 kg (19 lb), far too heavy to be of any practical use as a throwing weapon. The light pilum would have weighed a more serviceable 2.2 kg (4.9 lb). [49]
The deflection is the difference between the true zenith Z as determined by astrometry, and the apparent zenith Z′ as determined by a plumb-line. Observatories were constructed to the north and south of the mountain, plus a bothy to accommodate equipment and the scientists. [6] The ruins of these structures remain on the mountainside.