[1] Hasta, hastati
In the Roman army of the middle Republic, the hasta served primarily as a thrust lance for close combat although it could also be thrown; it had a wooden shaft and an iron point. The hasta was adapted to the fighting style of the phalanx, but it remained in use when, in the 4th cent. BC, the Romans adopted a more flexible set-up in maniples ( manipulus ). According to Livy (Liv. 8,8,5-13), whose ac…