?tzi the Iceman had a longbow with him when he died. So they've certainly been used in Europe for over 5000 years.

And regarding Romans: After the Marian reforms, the Romans used the gladius as their main weapon. They'd throw javelins(the famous pilum) at their enemy in the hopes of disabling their shield before drawing their gladii for close combat. Before the Marian reforms of around 107BCE, they had a much more complicated system with three types of infantry, some of whom used thrusting spears too.

http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Newsroom/News/Pages/Stone-Agearrowsfound.aspx


The longbow did change everything though, and the crossbow even more. It's said that many knights and/or traditional warriors hated their rising eminence and use. They saw it as cowardly. It pissed them off that great men on the battlefield could be taken out so quickly. But bows existed before that. They just weren't able to achieve that until then.

Interesting read. Used for hunting or figthing I wonder? Only thing that doesn't make sense is that the bow was bigger than him.

I always find it funny how they`re no spear in Skyrim since spear have been in use by armies for a very long time. In fact they only really died out in the 18th century and that was when muskets were around! Having something that hurts the enemy before you and keeps you at a safe distance was very popular and a lot easier to learn to use than a bow. It`s a very logical weapon to have.

Even a fantasy people`s like those of Nirn should have spears.

Of course the Roman Pilum was more for throwing than real spear work, but still.

I think in his case, he was found solitary, among the wilderness. Probably died while hunting or an accident. I can't recall exactly, but I remember hearing he was equipped well, which might've been a sign of some wealth or traveling lifestyle.

Hunting I would guess untill the development of competive communities, maybe? Where then it would have been used for defence and a meathod of feeding one's family.

Yeah the roman empire used regular spears too with a certain technique, just a quick example:

http://poliremi.altervista.org/immagini/greci/Falanx.JPG

They were used especially in battles where the enemy were charging them, most of the enemies would get impaled from the first row, and if someone in the first row died or was unable to fight, the one behind him would get in the first row. Is called Falanx or Falange.

http://www.heavenlyswords.com/popup_image.php?type=D&id=16148&title=Modern%20Naginata%20by%20Tom%20Anderson&area=Cwould make an interesting two handed weapon. Simple forward thrust after all is a little boring.

?tzi died of an arrow wound too, so it certainly seems the were used for both. And medieval English longbows were up to 2m long, so the length isn't unheard of.

Actually spears simply changed form, becoming a knife that is attached to the musket or rifle. The bayonet. Which is still seeing limited use today:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0bd_1249524865

And as far as I can tell, the reason spears were omitted from Skyrim and Oblivion is because they require a totally unique animation set, whereas swords, axes, and maces all can use pretty much the same set.

Correct, spears exist they are just invisible in this game....

Looks like Ebony Blade from Mephala.

The fellows in that picture look to be Macedonian, based on their helmets and the Sarisa spears they're using.
Roman legions were developed with defeating the phalanx formation in mind, since it was used by most of their enemies. Roman formations were much more maneuverable compared to the phalanx, and had a better ability to concentrate their strength in a single spot to break the enemy's shield wall. The Romans would use a checkerboard formation, which would make the phalanx likely to break ranks, exposing the individual soldiers.
The phalanx's greatest weakness was it's lack of maneuverability, and once it was commited to battle, it just had to push forward. This was pretty visible at the battle of Leuctra in 371BCE, where the Thebans completely crushed Spartan hoplites, and by extension the Spartan state, using cavalry and light shock troops.

It's more like a trident/spear with a large blade attached to it. It is designed for swinging and slashing and reserved for Champions & Generals in ancient/classical asian Countries, who were on horseback or fighting against infantry with spears.

Exactly, everything worth doing has been done before. Leaving only worthless things like planking to be original. But even that stopped being original by the time the second person did it. As well as stupid.

Imagine how crappy the empire would be if it was 100% original. Even the name isn't original, not by a long shot lol.
IMO, letting a fantasy world be inspired by the world we live in is a very good way to pull the player in.

There's a fine line between fantasy and just plain stupid.

We need to remember the different terms being used here and why they are different and why they denote a certain point in Roman Military history...

Roman Kingdom, Early Republic, Republic, Imperial era and Late Era (ie, West and Eastern Empires).

True. In my experience though, when people say "Roman", they think Late Republic/Imperial.

There were more differences than just the culture. The most visible difference would be the armies, compare these Byzantine soldiers to your stereotypical legionnaire wearing a Lorica Segmentata for instance. http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4016/4476838526_8441206719_z.jpg The Eastern Roman Empire / Byzantium was indeed descendant from the "proper" Roman Empire (in lack of a better term) but in my eyes it's two sides of the same coin.

Compare the Late (Western) Roman Empire soldiers to those just after the Marius reforms and you will find great differences as well. The Byzantine armies needed to evolve, they did afterall fought for near a 1000 years longer then their western brethens.

That too, I just now realized that I was trying to get at what Celtichugs phrased better. Many different periods, pretty big differences, but as for the Elder Scrolls the Empire is based on a certain one - the same one most think of when they hear "Roman Empire".

Yep. The difference is that this was in the late Middle Ages, which was centuries after the Eastern Roman Empire had stopped existing. At 400 AC they were both practically the same...

I'm pretty sure after the Marian reforms the gladius replaced the spears although I'm sure they still used them.

My Oblivion character was an Imperial and I liked how they were inspired by the Romans. I'm a fan of medieval history, but I'm nowhere as knowledgable as many of the people posting here.

My Skyrim Nord, however, is pro-Stormcloak and anti-empire.

I only see the Roman influence here as far as aesthetics go. The actual storyline is nothing like Rome. Starting somewhat with the Alessian empire, and then the Septims, their rulers are actually considered divinely appointed and blessed. In the real world however, all roman emperors who saw themselves as gods or benefactors to all humankind were twisted. Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar might have been the least twisted (which is saying a lot), but many others, like Nero, were crazy as hell. Others were just spoiled upper class types. Think of Commodus in Gladiator, for example. TES is nothing like this. The emperors are generally OK, while people who go against the imperial bloodline are not (i.e. Jagar Tharn or Mythic Dawn). You're not fighting some oppressive dictatorship. At worst, it's a giant machine, where the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing sometimes. Politically, i's got more in common with America than Rome.

I think that's one of the first thing I noticed when starting Skyrim. When you leave the wagon, in front of you there's an imperial captain. I was like "Waw, Morrowind's imperial helmet!"