What is a caltrop?
Q: What is a caltrop?
A: A caltrop is a device composed of four spikes or points arranged so that in whatever manner it is thrown on the ground, it rests on three and presents the fourth upright. It has been used since at least Roman times as an anti-personnel and anti-vehicular weapon.
Q: How were caltrops used by the Romans?
A: The Romans used caltrops to render chariots useless during battle. They would strew the field of battle with them, causing any horses that ran over them to be destroyed.
Q: What was a similar weapon used by Japanese samurai?
A: Japanese samurai used a similar weapon called makibishi.
Q: When were iron caltrops first used?
A: Iron caltrops were first used as early as 331 BC at Gaugamela.
Q: In which war were they also employed?
A: Caltrops were employed by both Allies and Axis forces during World War II to puncture tires of wheeled vehicles.
Q: How have labor activists in the United States sometimes made use of them?
A: Labor activists in the US have occasionally improvised caltrops out of welded nails for use during strikes to destroy tires belonging to management and replacement workers; these devices are more often referred to as jack rocks.
