Besides they weren't "normal" spears, the Romans cleverly designed a particular weapon, the pilum, with a long soft iron stem and a hardened point, which was "o

Besides they weren't "normal" spears, the Romans cleverly designed a particular weapon, the pilum, with a long soft iron stem and a hardened point, which was "one use only", i.e. upon hitting a shield (or when attempting to remove it from the shield) the point would bend so that it couldn't be thrown back.