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The Roman Gladius
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The famous "Gladius Hispanicus" was developed from the design of a Spanish short sword that the Romans encountered in their conquests in Hispania. The gladius, meaning 'sword' in Latin, was of a manageable size and effectiveness that made it a favorite weapon of the Roman military machine and the most basic equipment for the legionnaire during the 2nd century B.C. Prior to this era of the Roman military, when the military finally incorporated common citizens into the formerly elitist service, there was little regulation in how soldiers were outfitted for war.
The gladius in the 2nd century became standard weaponry for the legions. With a severe tip and sharpened double-edged blade, the gladius was primarily a stabbing weapon but performed successfully as a slicing tool as well and its design was such that handling was optimal. The Roman soldier formed part of an efficient military machine, wielding his gladius in his right hand in tandem with the Roman scutum, or shield, which he held with his left arm.
The most well known designs of gladii are the Mainz Gladius, Fulham Gladius, and Pompeii Gladius. The gladius' basic construction is of a steel blade with a central ridge, lodged in a hilt made of natural materials such as wood. The gladius was a fairly short sword, typically between 18 and 20 inches in length and designed for ease of handling. The design of the Mainz was characterized by a rounded upper guard and a hemispherical lower guard and both the upper and the lower guards were frequently incised with patterns along the circumference. The Fulham's design was more angular, the upper and lower guards characterized by a middle axis and the blade was slightly longer than the Mainz.
The Pompeii was the later model of the gladius and the shorter of the three versions as well as the one of most simple design. The Pompeii gladius of the later empire had a shorter point and its more standard design made it easier to produce, an important aspect since as Rome expanded its empire and the need to arm more troops became more costly a sword of less demanding production costs would be favorable. The center of the sword could be composed of low carbon steel centers with rich carbon steel edges and the blade base would extend through the grip and held into place with rivets at the guards.
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