Types of Roman Swords
Ancient Rome had swordsmiths who were masters at designing their weapons to achieve maximum results on the battlefield. Adopting many features of weapon designs from other cultures allowed the Romans to use different swords for different types of combat. These swords included both long swords and the more famous image of the Roman sword, the short sword or "Gladius."
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Hopllite Short Sword
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This design was taken from the Greeks and praised for its simplicity, superior strength and its length. The blade was straight and designed to form fit to the hand of a legionnaire, to give them increased control.
Falcata Short Sword
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This short sword design was also taken from Greek designs and was reputed to be able to shatter an enemy's shield and split their helmet with one blow. The blade was forward curving with a single edge, and had a hook handle for a grip. This hook allowed swinging of the sword in multiple directions quickly with less likelihood of dropping it.
Maintz Gladius
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The Maintz Gladius was revered for its ability to pierce armor. It had a short, wide blade with a sharp "long point" to penetrate the armor. It was a double-sided blade in an hour-glass shape, narrow at the base and tip.
Pompeii Gladius
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The Pompeii Gladius was a combination of features from earlier Spanish, Celtic and Roman swords. It had a diamond point tip with a straight double-sided 2-inch width blade. On the back-end of the handle, a weighted ball pommel made this an incredibly well-balanced sword.
Gladius Hispaniensis
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This sword was developed to assist charioteers who found the short swords to be ineffective in chariot warfare. Drawing on Spanish design, the Gladius Hispaniensis had a 2-inch wide blade which tapered out to a 34-inch length. It was made from steel rather than iron, which had been used in previous blades. This proved to be much stronger.
Spatha
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The Spatha was a sword with blades up to 40 inches long. It was used by the cavalry in the era of evolving warfare, developing from a single-edged weapon into a double-edged killer. It became the most popular sword in the legions from the 4th century onwards and eventually evolved into the swords used by medieval knights.
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