Hullo, all. One quick question...

Like many, no doubt, I've been getting a ton of painting done of late due to the Carona-cooties lock down.  I was watching a series on the GReat Courses Plus channel about the Etruscans and was inspired. It's an army I've wanted to build for a while now, but have never actually pulled the trigger on.  After looking over the relevant army list in the Italy book, I was mildly surprised to see no option for any of the Etruscan infantry to have "impact weapons".

Make no mistake, my own knowledge of the army is both limited and dated...mostly drawn from the old WRG book by Duncan Head.  But I had always read that the Romans are thought to have copied the use of the pilum, like so much else from the Etruscans.  Certainly it's an idea that seems to have, at least at one time, been a common concept amongst miniatures companies as just about every Etruscan miniature line out there makes pilum armed figures. 

Is this another one of those "facts" (rather like the use of leather muscle breastplates being worn by Late Roman legionarii) that is now no longer the currently accepted view? 

The Forged in Battle Etruscan line is very pretty and I'd love to get an army started, but I thought I would ask about that before I started the project.

Thanks!

I think there is a general consensus that the Etruscans adopted a heavy javelin (pilum) in the 4th century.  Wall paintings from Etruria show these alongside a hoplite shield and sword. 

Whether the Romans adopted the pilum from the Etruscans or the Samnites is less certain.

How the Etruscans fought is guesswork (similar to the Camillan Roman).  There is a case for allowing an Etruscan army from 400 BCE to have 1/3 of the infantry 1st to 3rd classes adding Charge Only javelin (similar to the Camillan Roman).

Richard

Thanks for the reply.

I think this is the image you are talking about:
https://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1788-17768
A little poking around and it looks like it's  the one that Head references when talking about Etruscans use of the pilum in the WRG book.  I'm not sure, but the three items painted between the shields do look a bbit like a pilum.  But who really knows?

Dito about how to represent it in the game and what percentage of Etruscan troops to allow access to it.  I'd be more likely to allow a percentage of the Etruscan hoplites to exchange their long spears with impact weapons, but the charge only javelins option you suggest would work as well.  Again, who knows.  Until an official revision of the list appears, I'll talk to the guys in the local club and decide on an acceptable change.  A couple of units in the army that hit a little harder on impact will hardly make the Etruscan list a world beater or throw off the balance that badly.

In any event I ordered a bunch of Forged in Battle Etruscans and some of the LBM decals to go with them.  It's going to a very pretty army (especially with a Gaul and/or Samnite ally contingent...both of whom tend to be very colorful as well) although I doubt it will stand much of a chance against a Republican Roman army.  But that's pretty much how it worked out historically, right? 

Thanks again.