The pilum was a short, throwing or thrusting spear, used as you describe, & somewhat akin to the assegai.

The "bundled" handled thing you're describing was the faces (pronounced "fah-shees"), which had an axe head bound inside, and protruding from, a number of shafts. It was used as a symbol of power of the Roman Government, and is still used to adorn government edifices. Here in TN, the state House of Represenatives chamber has a couple of them carved in the marble rostrum around the speaker's chair.

I don't recall the origin of it, nor that it was used as a weapon, merely as a symbol of power (of the tribunes, I think--but memory is fading fast!)

And yes, the faces is the root word for "PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.".

David