de bello gallico, 1, 25:
"«Milites e loco superiore pilis missis facile hostium phalangem perfregerunt. Ea disiecta gladiis destrictis in eos impetum fecerunt. Gallis magno ad pugnam erat impedimento quod pluribus eorum scutis uno ictu pilorum transfixis et conligatis, *** ferrum se inflexisset, neque evellere neque sinistra impedita satis commode pugnare poterant, multi ut diu iactato bracchio praeoptarent scutum manu emittere et nudo corpore pugnare.»"
traduction:
«The Romans, throwing their javelins from above, easily managed to break the enemy formation and when they had disrupted it they threw themselves impetuously with swords in hand against the Gauls; these were very clumsy in the fight, because many of their shields had been pierced by the throwing of the javelins and, since the irons were bent, they could not uproot them, so that they could not easily fight with the impeded left; many then, after having shaken their arm for a long time, preferred to throw away the shield and fight with the body uncovered. "
Do you know who said this?
julius caesar.
But since I always write "what is not physically impossible and is reasonable to happen, can happen":
If some enemy went armorless (and someone was there), obviously the romans could hit him with a pilum(in melee) at close range, from above the fortification, precisely because romans had a greater distance from the enemy(that try to scaling the wall), the height difference and the protection of the fortification on which you stood.
The exception is not the rule.
But generally the pilum was thrown before the charge.
A soldier had 2, one lighter and one heavier, but they generally had the same functions.
What can be deduced from the "de bello gallico" and from how the use of pilum is described is:
- The pilum creates massive damage and disrupts enemy ranks;
- The charge of the soldiers takes place immediately after the launch of the pilum, to make the most of the disorientation and confusion among the enemies;
- The folding of the pilum creates an impediment to the enemies and forces them to do without the shield;
- The fortuitous folding of the pile prevents their reuse by the enemies towards the Romans.