Roman Sword

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February 8th, 2010 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Roman Sword

Ancient Rome Swords - The Roman Gladius Swords

The Ancient Rome Swords that were used in the old days in many ways resemble the swords used by the Ancient Greeks. A perfect example would be the Gladius Sword. In fact the word Gladius means Sword in Latin which was the language used in Ancient Rome. After the Roman Conquest, this language was spread throughout the Mediterranean. The Romans used weapons that were like the swords adopted by the Celtiberians in the early days of the Conquest of Hispania. This weapon was referred to as the Gladius Hispaniensis or the Hispanic Sword.

A while back people though this weapon closely resembled the Mainz, but further research indicated this wasn't the truth. The earlier Gladius Blades were longer and narrower. Polybuis, who was a famous Greek Historian who lived and practiced his teachings in the Hellinistic Period, around 203-120 B.C., said this sword was great for both cutting as well as thrusting. A Roman Soldier fully prepared for battle would carry a Shield, sometimes known as a Scutum, a few Javelins, a Gladius Sword and most likely a dagger
and sometimes a few darts made of lead.

When Roman Soldiers confronted their nemesis in battle, they would typically throw the Javelins first trying to take out their enemy before they had to face them head on. When they did have to face their enemy head on, this is when they would draw their Ancient Gladius Sword. The Roman Warrior usually led with their Scutum and used their sword as a weapon for thrusting attacks. Many people believe this weapon was only good for stabbing, however the truth is it was also great for chopping and cutting enemies as well.

The Roman Gladiator - A Noble Fight To The Death

The Gladiator typically was a Roman Slave who used the Gladius Sword to fight to the death. They used other weapons as well but this was the most common weapon they used. They did this in what was called a Ludus, which was latin terminology for the word Game. These Games typically took part on the anniversary date of a high ranking warrior that was killed in battle.

People think this custom might have began in the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age was the period when a lot of advanced metal forging was discovered and when bronze started being used to create a lot of their weapons. There's a lot of debate as to when this era was started, but some believe it was started as early as the 3rd Millenium B.C.

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