Roman Pompeii Gladius (Sword)

Last crawled date: 1 year, 8 months ago

The classic Imperial Roman short sword, named for where an original was found in the ruins of Pompeii (reliably dating from 79 CE). Lower scabbard ornament by moom The Roman Legions were renowned for their brutal, efficient use of the short sword and over the centuries the style of short sword changed as tactics changed or were refined. Beginning with the 'gladius Hispaniensis' (based on a Celt-Iberian leaf-bladed short sword), over time the sword became shorter and broader (the Mainz and Fulham patterns) and culminated in the 'Pompeii' style stabbing sword. The Pompeii pattern was the first major change in the Roman short sword, showing that battle tactics had firmly changed to emphasize the thrust rather than the cut in combat. This type of sword is found on Trajan’s Column -- a marble sculptural monument built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98 - 117 CE) -- almost all of the swords depicted on the column are the Pompeii style. #ancient_weapons #arms #gladias #Gladius #pompei #pompeii #Roman #Rome #Sword #weapon