Weapons

[BenHur]

I was wondering whether or not the Roman Empire allowed those they conquered to retain weapons (swords, spears, slingshots, etc.)

 

As a preacher, my interest centers on the nation of Israel in New Testament times but information from any time period will be appreciated. I am curious as to what, if any, legal ramifications could have been made by the apostle Peter having a sword. (John 18:10)

 

I am grateful for any response and thank you in advance. I apologize if I have placed my inquiry in the wrong place.

 

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[Melvadius]

As a specialist topic it seems entirely appropriate to leave this question here, although personally I would be tempted to rename it 'Weapons in conquered provinces'.

 

As far as providing a definitive answer that I have more difficulty with as I don't think I have anything in my library covering this specific topic.

 

My intitial thoughts are that logically in most, if not all, of the provinces which passed into the control of the Romans there was an ongoing need for personal protection not least from wild animals or brigands when individuals were travelling in more remote areas. I believe that bears and wolves not to forget some large raptors were found all over the Empire in this period. In both Crete and Palestine (for example) there is a long tradition of shepherds having weapons to protect their flocks.

 

For this reason I do not believe that there would have been a global ban on all weapons per se however there may have been local restrictions on where and when they were carried and what type of weapons or armour it was reasonable to bear - especially after a period of revolt.