Gladius
Literally: sword
A short sword of the Roman infantry, adopted from the Celtiberians of Hispania; legionaries thrust it at stomach height, until the longer spatha replaced it in the 3rd century CE.
Quick Facts
About the weapon
The gladius was the sword of the Roman infantry from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, when heavy infantry exchanged it for the longer spatha. The Romans took the model from the Celtiberians, who fought for Carthage in the Punic Wars and had already impressed at Cannae (216 BCE). The change is usually credited to Scipio Africanus after the capture of Cartagena in 209 BCE. The word gladius is probably a loan from Celtic (*kladi(b)os, "sword"). Several types are distinguished. The Gladius Hispaniensis had a blade 60-68 cm long, an overall length of 75-85 cm, a width of 5 cm and weighed around 1 kg. The Mainz type had a blade of 50-55 cm, a width of 7 cm and about 800 g, while the Fulham and Pompeii types weighed around 700 g, with the Pompeii having the shortest blade, 45-50 cm. The hilt was called capulus in Latin. The swords were forged by welding strips or from a single piece of iron from bloomery furnaces, made by specialized craftsmen, the gladiarii. Legionaries used the gladius mainly to thrust, at stomach height. A fully armed legionary carried, besides the sword, the scutum shield, one or two pila javelins and often also the pugio dagger. A source says Macedonian soldiers were horrified around 200 BCE at seeing bodies hacked apart by the gladius.
Parts of the weapon
- Grip — capulus
Related weapons
- Used together with: Pilum