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As the Roman Empire grew her warriors absorbed and used weapon designs from many different cultures. Many Roman swords were decorated with designs from the Celts, the Greeks and and the tribes of Germany. The designs grew in variety and distinction and became more ornate as the Empire grew.
This was the sword used by the infantry and was used fromt the very early years of the Empire. There three types of Gladius.
Greek or Gladius Graecus swords were the first Roman swords, used from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BC. The design was copied from the Hoplites, fierce warriors of Greece. It was leaf shaped and was about 65cm long.
Hispanic or Gladius Hispaniensis swords were designed from Iberian swords and were used by the Roman infantry. These swords were between 65 and 80cm long, tapering to a point and very broad at the hilt.
Pompei Gladius is a sword that was produced in Pompei and measured around 75cm. It had a shorter point than the others and had two cutting edges.
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Gladius swords were replaced by Spatha swords around the beginning of the first millenium and were used until about 500AD. It was around a meter long with a broad blade and was derived from the Celtic swords of the Anglo Saxons. Knight and Viking swords were later based on the Spatha sword design.
Used as backup weapons Pugio daggers were around 25cm long with a width of around 5cm or more. It was also used as a knife for more mundane tasks.
Forged iron was used in all the Roman swords and forged steel was used for the more technologically advanced Spatha swords.
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