The Roman Handmade Gladius Swords: Origin, Features, Types

In ancient Rome, the Primary swords used by foot soldiers were the Gladius. The gladius often featured a steel, bronze, or iron blade with wooden or iron hilt. The most impressive thing about gladius is that the roman military was easily adapted to it. It is a relatively short, double-edged weapon that became the hallmark of the Roman infantry. The versatility of the handmade gladius helped the Roman military become one of the most powerful in the globe. 

Origins of Gladius

Most of the gladius swords' origins remain covered in mystery. Some historians appeared with the belief that the first sword appeared around the 4th century. Some of the early gladius swords were made of bronze; however, soon after, the sword smiths began using iron for the same. Iron gladius was more robust and easier to produce as compared to the bronze counterparts. As time passes, the Roman sword smiths started using steel and high-carbon steel for making swords to get a higher level of strength and overall quality. 

Characteristics of the Gladius

Despite a lot of variations in the gladius, most of them shared some common characteristics:

·         Most of the gladius swords featured a double-edged blade except katana that featured a single edge.

·         The gladius was sharp on both edges.

·         It is versatile helping Roman to attack enemies using either side of the sword’s blade.

·         It has a tapered point making the sword an effective stabbing weapon.

·         It was effectively used as a slashing weapon.

Types of Gladiuses

There were dozens of gladiuses in existence in the history of Rome. The most common types were:

·         Gladius hispaniensis

·         Gladius Mainz

·         Gladius Fulham

·         Gladius Pompeii

How Gladius with two edges were more effective

Not all swords are forged with a single edge. Some are forged with two edges too. The double-edged swords have a completely different design than the single-edged swords. Here’s why some swords have two edges instead of one:

·         They allow for better thrusting attacks

·         These are more effective at penetrating through armor than their single-edged counterparts.

·         They prevent the enemies from grabbing the sword's dull edge that they can easily do in the single-edged swords.

The Downfalls of using Double-edged Swords

With so many benefits, there are some downsides to suing double-edged swords. For beginners, the double-edged swords were more prone to breakage than the single-edged swords. The latter has a thicker and stronger dull side that stabilizes the sword. In the double-edged, both edges are sharpened to a fine point, which makes them break easily under stress. 

The benefits of Gladius swords outweigh the pitfalls and hence are widely used swords. You can buy handmade gladius swords with similar functionality and characteristics in the past with a little change in the making.