Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
And Romans Empire at height of it's power didn't really bother with ranged combat, most pila were being lobed from extremely quick distance after all.

Artillery was employed a lot and often, though, I guess.
Armored infantry with javelin, sword, and shield constituted to the core the Roman military at its height - depending on you date that - but Roman armies commonly included archers and/or slingers as well. Period account mention the utility of their missile volleys.

As far as the montante and similar large two-handed swords go, they saw use in both civilian and military contexts. In the Iberian Peninsula, bodyguards in particular appear to have wielded these weapons. Di Grassi wrote they town guards favored two-handed swords because they often had to fight multiple opponents. In pike formations, soldiers with two-handed swords guarded the ensign, served in the melee, and/or attacked enemy pike blocs in loose formation.