Kontos

Sarmatian Roman pole weapon

重騎槍 · コンタリオン

Type

pole weapon

Place of origin

Parthian Empire, Sasanian Empire

Used by

cataphract, Clibanarii, Byzantine cavalry, Aswaran, Contarii

The kontos or contus (Ancient Greek: κοντός, from κεντέω meaning to prick or pierce) was a type of long pike with a pointed iron at the one end. Initially it was used for a variety of reasons, but most notably as a punt-pole by sailors who put it into the ground in shallow water, thereby pushing on the boat, and as a means of determining the depth of the water. Later, the term applied to the long pikes or lances which were used as weapons and the soldier armed with it were called Contarii and Contati (κοντόφοροι, meaning contus-bearers).

Romans used this term to described the huge pike of the Germanic warriors and the long pikes of the Sarmatians.

External links

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q1129265 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.