First, the Romans stood their ground and used volleys of "pila" (heavy javelins) to kill thousands of Britons who rushed toward the Roman lines. The Roman soldiers engaged Boudica's second wave in the open. As the Romans advanced in a wedge formation, the Britons attempted to flee, but were impeded by the presence of their own families. They had put their people in wagons at the edge of the battlefield, and were slaughtered.