NOT just the GLADIUS! What SWORDS did the ROMAN ARMY dominate with?

[@scholagladiatoria]

ExpressVPN has given me their BEST DEAL EVER, with a 48% DISCOUNT plus an EXTRA 3 MONTHS completely FREE! Check out www.expressvpn.com/scholagladiatoria and DON'T MISS OUT! Improve your security, privacy, and get access to more online.

[@rickanderson8683]

Yes, please do a deeper dive into Roman arms and armor throughout the existence of the Empire.

[@raphlvlogs271]

people are often not aware of that everything is less standardised in almost all of global history when compared to today

[@fjm7132]

And not only that. In peace time you might have fairly standardized equipment but once the fighting starts, oh boy....😅 Everyone is just trying to use whatever they have at hand.

[@kamaeq]

Lots of examples, especially when you had situations where the fighters brought their own gear. Many brought what their father or grandfather used. I've always considered the outlier "short" longsword to probably be longsword that had their tips broken or damaged and it was cheaper to shorten the blade and reforge the tip. I own a Yankee calvary sabre, or rather the front half of the blade. It was brought back broken and because a tool was needed, it was drilled and fitted with a wooden handle for use as a chopper on the farm. The scabbard and hilt disappeared. Each smith did his own thing and any standardization was by eye and not precision measurements. If you've worked on old wooden houses you see it all the time. Close, but you have to measure everything and custom cut it.

[@nogmeerjan]

@@kamaeq ". If you've worked on old wooden houses you see it all the time. Close, but you have to measure everything and custom cut it." I'm living in a old brick house; it is not close; even by eye; A 90° angle does not exist in my house.

[@Ylyrra]

I'd go further and say people are often not aware that everything is less standardised in the modern world too. Just how many revisions of an infantry rifle coexist even in current day armed forces for a given nation? It would be weird if ancient armies had more consistency.

[@somerando1073]

My theory about what made the Gladius Hispansus "Hispansus" is that they were using the higher quality ore found in Spain. There's a reason that Toledo was a swordsmithing center.

[@kamaeq]

Agreed.

[@arx3516]

yeah, the swords used by the celtiberians and other iberian populations don't really look like the typical "Gladius" everyone thinks about.

[@shanewallace1126]

Ive always wondered if the ore source for the earlier swords failed.​@@kamaeq

[@kamaeq]

@@shanewallace1126 Not sure about now, but it appeared to be still good into the 15th-16th centuries. The Spanish Conquistadors used swords made there and I've read some tidbits that the Japanese imported the steel and perhaps journeyed there to smith steel katanas. My understanding is that they got good swords by casting blanks and the finish forging them.

[@shanewallace1126]

@@kamaeq fantastic! Thanks, and happy new year. 🙃

[@malahamavet]

I would love a second part for the eastern Romans. Their stuff is less known in general and I'd love noticing the roman characteristics in a medieval setting that's why I find the eastern Romans pretty cool

[@thinusconradie4297]

Agreed.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Yeah, underrated. The Roman empires after the Punic wars expanded upon defeating poorer, less centralized, more individualistic societies whereas the Byzantines lasted a 1,000 years and was constantly fending off more organized kingdoms, empires, pan kingdom movements

[@adambielen8996]

Absolutely!

[@jottXD]

Very excited that you make videos on Roman swords! One small correction in the chronology: the xiphos could get quite short for swords at the time, especially compared to Celtic swords, with blade lengths between 50cm on the shorter end, up to 60cm on the longer. It seems that La Tène Celtic swords were used parallel to those by the Romans, as a La Tène sword was found with the inscription „Trebio Pomponio, son of Caio, made me in Rome“ (The Spada di San Vittore, mentioned by Michael Taylor: Panoply and Identity during the Roman Republic (2020)). Counterintuitively, the swords probably used at first were longer, with the Roman Gladius Hispaniensis reaching a similar blade length to La Tène swords, between 60-70cm (70-80cm total lengths): I can recommend the literature of Fernando Quesada-Sanz (for example his paper „Gladius hispaniensis: an archaeological view from Iberia“ (1997)) The Gladius did seem to get shorter during or after the Roman civil wars of the Late Republic, with the Principate Gladius Mainz reaching a blade length of even just 50 cm, again reaching 60-65 on the higher end.

[@Soult492]

As a self-made Roman scholar i can point out my thougths on this particular topic, backed by italian archeologists and researchers. 1) first off the xiphos was not just used by the greeks, because even before the spreading of hellenic culture by Alexander and his Successors this sword was used even here in Italy, particullarly by Etruscans and Samnitic peoples and from them it came in possession of the Romans, as Rome has been governed by Etruscans kings nontheless. 2) my friend Gioal Canestrelli suggest in his book ("From Carthage to Rome: the sword and shield of the Republican legionary" edited by LEG edizioni) that from the sack of Rome in 390 BC circa the legionaries started to use the La Tene B sword of their enemies and even produce it afterwards. This was the missing link between the Iberian swords and the following Gladius Hispaniensis but there is a caviat: the latter has not been invented by the Romans but by the Carthaginians of Hannibal Barca before he started the Second Punic War. The Celtiberian smiths that were tasked with this job probably tried to fuse the best characteristics of the La Tene B sword and their short sword. Et voilà: introducing the Gladius Hispaniensis (i wonder how the Spaniards or the Carthaginians called it) and ONLY at the end of the terrible war that ravaged Italy the Romans started to adopt it, when Scipio Africanus conquered Carthago Nova in 209 BC where most of the foundings come from. So this proves that your theory about the similarity of the scabbard is correct. And we know by now that the three types of swords (xiphos, la Tene B and the gladius hispaniensis) cohexisted and were used for at least two centuries, up to the reign of Augustus and maybe beyond. 3) the so called spatha was invented by the Romans for their cavalry, but we do not know why and how. By the time of the Marcomannic Wars the continuous incursions by the Schytian nomads had possibly been the veichle for the adoption of the ring-pommeled short swords, a typical characteristic of their culture that in fact they themselves has stolen frome the Chinese armies. At the start of the third century the spatha became the norm for all the legionarii and the principal reason is that the number of active men under service increased exponentially after the death of Marcus Aurelius and the Antonine plague that ravaged the middle-East and the West. Since there was too many soldier to train the longer bladed spatha was a more easy to learn sword to use by an unexperienced man than the shorter more pointy Pompei or the ring-pommeled one. Its this weapon that came in contact with the Germanic tribes not the other way around. At this time they did not have smiths capable of recreating a Roman spatha. They have seax as a primary weapon, or axes and in some cases even Roman captured blades. For the Romans it became the solution for a much bigger problem: the always growing Germanic confederations and the even more frequently invasions by their much more well organized armies. In fact in the third century AC the Roman Republic risked it all and was on the brink of annihilation, had not been saved by its soldier-Emperors and the reforms of Diocletian and Costantine. I hope to have cleared some obscure points, kind regards. Ad maiora! Nicolò B. from Italy

[@davewengraf7206]

Oh yes, more vids on Roman swords please! Especially Spatha.

[@coldwarrior78]

Great info, Matt. Would love to see more on swords of the Ancients. This could include swords used by the Byzantines as well.

[@Tengu4201]

Absolutely interested in a deeper dive into this topic

[@RevAnakin]

Matt, I love your knowledge, I would request/ recommend some simple edit cuts where you can fade in some high res pics or scans of the designs you're talking about. I love pictures :)

[@hTrae]

I really like the emphasis on the importance of scabbards and accessories or ancient clothing! Clothing is armor, even modern clothing. It's super interesting to me to consider the craftsman or craftswoman who made each item of clothing or sword. I feel like there's a lot of information to be gleaned from who is making a particular item and if they're making it to a standard design. There was a person who had to stitch each hole or pound out each sword.

[@danielkeding3071]

Excellent video. Finally someone in the sword world on KZbin is tackling the varied swords found in the Roman army. Thanks.

[@IvanIvanoIvanovich]

I know a lot of the published material is not in English, but Sarmatian "Type I" swords with gemstone or glass disc pommels are an interesting footnote in the story of the spatha. They get less love than the more well known ring pommel swords, but are equally as widespread.

[@flavorwest8769]

Would definitely love a deeper dive into each sword and its history. This is such a fascinating topic, and I've had trouble finding content creators who don't make sweeping generalizations, but you got much of the nuance i crave. Great work, as always!

[@eddys.3524]

Happy New Year, Matt !!

[@Jinkaza1882]

I am sure I am not alone, but there were a set of books in my elementary school library that dealt with ancient armies/weapons/and cultures. I am sure I wore holes in the pages flipping through them. Just like those books, this is great stuff here.

[@Petruhafication]

You just awoke my nostalgia for DK Eyewitness books!

[@dlatrexswords]

This is a wonderful concise overview covering a difficult to synthesize topic. Love the depth that this brings to the discussion of swords used in Rome, as it will help flesh out a bunch of the concepts that folks might have as to what may have been in used across a vast Republic/Empire which lasted for centuries. Great stuff!

[@mcbishopuk]

Just to make clear, he is not my PR guy 😉 Nice video, Matt.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Wow, hello and welcome!

[@mcbishopuk]

@@scholagladiatoria 👋

[@brennenkunka7118]

Would love to hear some about the Celtic La Tene swords present around early Rome and their influence. Possibly the earliest instance of the word "Roma" is inlaid on one of these, known as the San Vittore Sword. To my eye a lot of Gladius Hispaniensis examples have more in common with contemporary Celtic swords than the Iberian ones

[@Fidi-h3b]

@@brennenkunka7118 cause the north-northwest of the Iberian land was mostly culturally Celtic

[@brennenkunka7118]

​@@Fidi-h3b true, but the Iberian short swords with the double-lobed pommels and multiple fullers are the point of comparison I usually see. I wonder if the Hispaniensis name had more to do with who the Romans were fighting at the time of adoption than a singular design influence

[@Fidi-h3b]

@@brennenkunka7118 May be, I,m not saying you are not wrong, but many Celt-Iberian went into Italy with Hannibal, just to be finally defeated and their weapons seized by Romans. And oposed to their Iberian neighboursthey were fighting as heavy infantry, with big shield, spear and sword. Maybe the idea came from that moment.

[@Atheistbatman]

About adopting scabbards…I just bought a supposedly bush crafting knife mainly for the sheath, spyderco zoomer. And it was supposed to be convex. The sheath is fabulous and unique enough but the blade is horrible I think for bush craft so I’m sending it back. I’m in Rome, GA so yes, Romans can choose blades mainly for the scabbards.

[@hjorturerlend]

Eh, they were still around, but the Xiphos was well on its way out by the 2nd Punic War. The La Tene B was much more common in Italy by that point. The La Tene B was still in Roman service alongside the Hispaniensis by the time of Pompey, so there are huge overlaps in time and no real standardization - only trends. So the transition is from a straight edged Celtic sword with a fairly spatulated point and trilobed Celtic hilt to a Celtiberian design that's a hybrid of the La Tene B and earlier needle pointed and leaf-bladed Iberian shortswords, the so called "Arcobriga" or "atrophied antenna" swords. The Gladius Hispaniensis has the trilobed La Tene B hilt, the Arcobriga scabbard and a blade that's essentially the same as the earlier Arcobriga, but lengthened to the same medium length as the Gallic La Tene B. Gallic swords only start to get to arming sword length in this same period (3rd century BC), that's the La Tene C, however the La Tene B survives in Italy and Iberia for more than a century afterwards. In short, the Gladius only really starts to become distinctly Roman by the time of Ceasar and that's initially just a superficial change to the hilt design. Two fun facts: The earliest written inscription of the word "Rome" we have is on the maker's mark of an early 3rd century BC La Tene B sword and one of the first depictions of the Gladius Hispaniensis is on the grave stele of a *Carthaginian* soldier in North Africa! Livy, citing Polybius IIRC, says it was the Carthaginians in Carthago Nova who mass produced and therefore prolifirated these swords across Iberia. Makes sense they would use them too.

[@hjorturerlend]

This is a lot of words to say that the only unique thing about the Gladius Hispaniensis is the needle point and the metal reinforced scabbard. Neither of which are actually unique, except this is the exact time period when chainmail is getting adopted left and right and neither the La Tene B or the Xiphos had needle points to deal with it... Incidentally we also see the adoption of the so called "bayonet spear" among the Gauls and the Celto-Italic Pilum (and Iberian Soliferrum) loses its barbed head in favor of the now more famous rectangular bodkin point. A 2nd century BC depiction of a Ptolemaic soldier shows a new type of Xiphos with a blade that might as well have come from a Swiss Degen. There are a lot of weapon adaptations in the 3rd century BC that seem optimized for piercing mail.

[@thedamnyankee1]

I'm all for it whenever you want to do a deep series on a topic.

[@nicklambert6631]

I'd like to see more on the spatha. To an enthusiastic layperson, such as myself, there seems to be an obvious relationship between the spatha and Viking/Saxon Era swords, but where the spatha itself came from is less obvious. That the inspiration hot potato may have passed from Germanic Tribes to the Romans and then back to various Tribes by way of Roman Conquest is an interesting idea.

[@josephdedrick9337]

My understanding is the realtionship is exactly as you stated the Roman spatha became the Norse and Norman swords that evolved into the arming swords.

[@TmitriZukowski]

What then of the ring hilted gladii, with seemingly Germanic blades? When were they used? Personally, this video is the first reference I have encountered for short bladed ring pommels outside of China - of course, I am an amateur sword geek, not an archeologist!

[@josephdedrick9337]

@TmitriZukowski the ring hilts originate from the east so they appear first in dacian and parts around there. The source I've read indicates a sarmatian origin.

[@IvanIvanoIvanovich]

@@TmitriZukowski As others have said, it derives from a Sarmatian style. If you are interested, I would recommend "Sarmatian Horsemen of North Pontic Region" by Aleksandr Symonenko.

[@tcrowley]

kindly dive deeper in the future. speaking for myself, i'm fascinated

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

You can talk about Byzantine equipment. Of course they adopted Spatha, Lancea, Spears, and flat oval shields from West Rome. They later on had Paramerion Sword, Persian armor, cavalry secondary battle axe, Greek Fire, dromon ships, Chelandion ship, and sailing cargo ships. Perhaps even show the evolution of Roman equipment to Byzantine Empire equipment.

[@PomahXomehko]

Could you do a topic on Zaporozhian Cossacks warfare, Zaporozhians were the first to use submarine warfare in 1595 while attacking a Turkish port.

[@ShidenByakko]

Definitely would be in for a deeper dive into all the Roman Swords! Keep them coming!

[@HOMGC]

Great stuff id love to see your take on gladiators given all the research and information thats being studied

[@-RONNIE]

Thank you for the video and information ⚔️

[@manricobianchini5276]

Sir, you and Metatron are my favorite ancient sources of information. Thank you.

[@ArmouredProductions]

Definitely looking forward to the future videos on this topic.

[@JohnGilbert-l5l]

EXCELLENT content - looking forward to the follow ups :)

[@Deadlybudz]

People are often not aware that all proceeds from this channel go to his Asahi Beer shirt collection fund 😂

[@morrisrevan]

Yes, please do make make more videos about Roman swords! I would LOVE to see more about all of them!

[@Higelac]

As always. Brilliant information sir. Thank you for sharing.

[@mylesdobinson1534]

Yes, please dive into all these different types of swords. Happy New Year to you and your family.

[@myleft9397]

Needs more props! Also what metals were they made of? Great video!

[@itsapittie]

So... here's a question prompted by Matt's comments that the equipment varied in different parts of the empire. To what extent was the procurement of arms and equipment centralized? Was pretty much everything made in imperial factories and shipped to the army around the world, or was it fairly common to procure weapons made locally? That certainly would have an effect upon the style of the weapon. Even if they ordered swords made to the prevailing Roman pattern, local bladesmiths would likely add their own flourishes, resulting in weapons that were similar but not identical.

[@christianroberts8134]

Exactly! Did individual legions equip themselves & their recruits, or was their some kind of centralized depot?

[@raphlvlogs271]

why weren't round wooden pommels like that you can typically find on the Gladius stay in use in later periods since it is still heavy enough to counter balance the weight of much larger sword blades?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Purely my own subjective opinion, but they make cutting less comfortable. With a longer blade used in cutting more, I think flatter pommel forms work better.

[@johannestetzelivonrosador7317]

Also pommels aren't actually that important for sword balance. Blade profile and shape are what really matter

[@gorbalsboy]

Hi, would definitely like a deep dive on each swords and if possible one on the celtic swords, were they as bad as the Romans claim? Happy new year to all😊

[@Sigurd_13]

Great video as always. Never enough talk about the roman empire and their toys of war... More please.

[@soupordave]

I would love to see you do a deep dive into more Ancient and Classical sword development!

[@Headsuporheadstone]

Please do a video on Celtic Swords post roman or migration era! What were the Picts using to fight off the first Viking invaders in Scotland? What were the celtic Welsh using to fend off the first contact with anglo saxons etc.? There seems to be zero information available on this topic

[@andrewhudson7481]

I'd be particularly interested in your thoughts on the influence of late Roman swords and armour on contemporary Germanic swords and armour (and vica versa). There does appear to be some cross pollination of ideas when one looks at swords and helmets in particular.

[@Solitary_Scribe55]

I'm no expert at all, but from what I've seen of late W.Roman remains and reconstructions, it seems the Roman soldiers were almost indistinguishable from some Germanic counterparts by the fall. The helmets are very telling as you suggest.

[@brittakriep2938]

Being german of swabian/alemannic tribe, living perhaps 20miles away from former Inperum Romanum/ Germania Magna border in former province Germania Superior ( also perhaps 20 miles in other direction was province Rhaetia). In nearly every village of my homeregion alemannic warriors graves from 3th to 6th century have been found. Weaponry: Mostly spear and seax, for protection only a shield with a boss, similar to a very small buckler. Richer warriors a spatha and some horse eqippment added. Poor warriors only axe/ hatchet or bow and arrow. Watched lots of small local Heimatmuseum ( Homeregionmuseum?) , large Landesmuseum ( Statemuseum in state capital) Stuttgart and Alemannenmuseum in Ellwangen: Only helmet and chest armour i saw, owned assumingly by a very rich chief was an imported lamella armour set ,perhaps from Persia (?). Btw. next to Ellwangen in town Aalen IS the wellknown Römermuseum, because in Aalen was once a roman fort for an ,Ala (!)' lesser known cavallry counterpart to a Legion. And finaly out of context, not far away from my village is the socalled Heidengraben, a rather large celtic fortification.

[@avanskow9302]

Happy new year, thanks for all the great 2024 content

[@josephgonzales4802]

Yes, I too am very interested on more information on this topic ! 👍🤔

[@Primul73]

I would love for you to do a deeper dive into the subjects you mentioned. The history of all of this is amazing.

[@RickWalker-e6o]

A point you may be missing;a manufcturer may(unbeliebable,of course) scrimp on the contract.Happy New Year!Cheers,Walker

[@MacNab23]

I am very curious about how the Hispaniensis was adapted by the Romans, the earliest known Roman examples of it, and it's evolution into the late Republic.

[@danicalifornia5563]

I have appetite for the deep dive!

[@thinusconradie4297]

Ooooooooooooooh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Been waiting for a video on this topic.

[@cavoneant]

Great video! Keep up the good work.

[@hrodvitnir6725]

Sounds like a super interesting project, Matt. I would love to follow it :)

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

To add to the confusion in Greek language " ξίφος" and " σπάθα" are used interchangeably

[@hughfisher9820]

Yes I would like a couple of in-depth videos on Roman swords. If you're able to go forward from medieval period to horse and musket, why not go back in time too? (And I think you have the knowledge to do so without a quality drop.)

[@KravRage]

I would love if you did a video on Eastern Roman armor and weaponry.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

Especially as they carried over the Spatha, Lancea, and flat oval shields from Rome. They liked Spears plenty. They also adopted Persia armor, evolved their ships (plus the addition of Greek Fire), invested more into archers on horseback, had a backup battle axe for their cavalry, and brought in Paramerion swords (something that West Rome likely never had).

[@carloparisi9945]

Hi Matt, you're potentially getting into a matter that is more complicated than German Army pistols in WWII but I'm interested in it, so go for it!

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Well done as per usual sir. You should do a video on the Scythian Akinakes/Acinaces. I know that the Qama/Qame/Satavari of Eastern Europe & Indo Persia all descend from it. Though I suspect that maybe the "spanish sword" that the Romans copied, did also.

[@MalusDB01]

Well up for the proposed deep dives!

[@gussie88bunny]

Never heard of a ring pommel gladius. Please explain.

[@lifigrugru6396]

valuabel information is always welcome! Happy New Yearto all!

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Great Discussion. Thanks.

[@lazylarper94]

Yes! Please do the deep dives! Migration era swords are also a topic I’ll never get enough of 😁

[@TheSaneHatter]

Please note that Matt Easton does not give us an equally lengthy discourse on the Roman SCABBARD: that would get the channel demonetized. 😈

[@philvalz]

Thanks for the very well-informed confusion! 😅

[@brittakriep2938]

In german we say: Letzte Klarheiten beseitigt! :-)

[@TheAncientAstronomer]

​@@brittakriep2938Oder informationelle Verschlimmbesserung😁

[@fernandoalegria4240]

I figured out that the dealers at the military shows I go to are actually collectors, like me, who have convinced their wives that they are dealers.

[@adrianarnaiz4645]

I would love more and more elaborated videos about the topic

[@crispfriars]

Bring on the deep dives fascinating stuff

[@jamesmorton6942]

I'd love super deep dives with multiple tangents, please!

[@el_wumberino]

Dear Matt, just as you say, there's a definitely relation between cavalry and the length of their swords; you point out that the gladius had been used as a cavalry weapon as well. There is a effectiveness ratio, if you like, between the horse's size and the actual effective reach of the cavalryman's sword. If I'm not completely mistaken old horse races were quite smaller than modern ones. Could larger horses have led to longer swords? Could that be one of the reasons to switch from Gladius to Spatha? The Romans were rather pragmatic people. Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it!

[@theeddorian]

A disucssion of Iberian swords would be very interesting, including especial any more detailed geographic associations.

[@mrferrer9485]

I can imagin Metatron watching this video with an asymetrical smile 😏

[@danieledwards2149]

Those deep-dives sound great, let's do it!

[@palmer3977]

YES Matt a deep dive would be very interesting.

[@spikemcnock8310]

Where can I buy a good quality usable gladius in the UK?

[@brittakriep2938]

Mr. Easton ! I live in Germany, former roman area in the south. In town Ellwangen is large Alemannenmuseum about alemannic tribe. Next to Ellwangen in Aalen is wellknown Römermuseum. Aalen has its name perhaps from a roman cavallry unit ,Ala' , which was there in roman time. The infantry legions are very well known, but those ,alae' ( cavallry units) and also existing mixed infantry / cavallry units are mostly unknown/ overlooked.

[@andymason1324]

Thanks Matt Great vid I don’t know too much about swords of antiquity so this is a schoolday for me 🙂

[@billpark8988]

Totally fascinating subject. More, please.

[@smashingtheadam]

I definitely would like to see a deeper dive on these issues.

[@speedythree]

Deeper dive series of videos, please!

[@mata6669]

Did the Marius Reforms have any major impact on evolution of Roman Swords?

[@tennoakahi]

Oh, I would love a video on iberian swords!

[@raphlvlogs271]

the crossguard of the classical Greek Xiphos is a development unrelated to the Crossguards of later period medieval (post Roman) era

[@iDEATH]

Yeah, but Asterix was awesome! I loved those comics as a kid. Not as much as Tintin, but it's a rare thing that can hold a candle to Tintin.

[@CIA-M]

Is it a possibility to make some videos about the Franks (merovingians/ carolingians)? And / or ottonians? Perhaps something about the panzerreiters. While from te same period as the Anglo-Saxon and vikings they are not as well known as them, while just as, or even more, interesting!

[@brittakriep2938]

Der Panzerreiter ( singular)/ die Panzerreiter ( plural) .

[@kahunab7400]

They might largely be a fabrication, while they were depicted in puctures, their gear apparently left no archeological record. Probably just propaganda from the karolingians

[@taylor_green_9]

I'd be happy to watch all those in-depth videos on gladii, spatha, and Hispanic swords

[@nicefarmscreamery6945]

PS try to use latest discoveries in your videos too-I know they’ve recently found Roman swords from the time of Vespasian somewhere recently in/around Isreal Thanks and love your content ❤❤❤

[@Odin029]

Whenever Matt says a word like concise, I quickly go check the runtime of the video

[@RingTheAnvil]

Another great video, and more books to order 😅

[@buidseach]

Maybe they used the Spatha and the Gladius for different purposes later on, like the Gladious would be used for close in battles where you don't have enough room to wield a larger sword and the Spatha would be used more as a patrol sword where you would have more room to swing it :)

[@TyLarson]

It would be neat to do a video with Stefan Milo on neolithic weapons.

[@thelonelyman-lz8fz]

Any connection between ring hilt gladius and Irish swirds?

[@IvanIvanoIvanovich]

The Roman ring hilt swords appear to derive inspiration from Sarmatian swords. The Irish ring hilt comes in over a thousand years later. Likely the natural conclusion of a hollow pommel by removing the side caps, leaving just a ring.

[@Book-bz8ns]

The use of longer swords on foot was influenced by the former "barbarians" becoming Roman through service in the auxiliary had a bit to play too I think.

[@EndorFine-h3r]

And with it the progressive loss of discipline, which often broke up formations, and in that case a long sword and a less concave shield were much more useful. In other words, the Roman army became barbarized because basically the Romans no longer needed to go into the army to survive, they lived well in the richer provinces with bread and entertainment subsidized by the state. In that state of affairs there was no incentive to be a soldier, so that role was left to the rabble who often came from the other side of the border, with the consequences that in time would put an end to the empire, together with other added problems that came together to worsen an already critical situation.

[@DerrillGuilbert]

One of the things that there'll never be evidence for, is that various generals, when forming their legions, would have purchased swords from their cousin, the sword broker. Or other similar sorts of circumstances. There almost can't be evidence for this sort of thing, certainly not how often it happened, but human nature being what it is -- it absolutely happened. So much of human interaction is that sort of way. Bribes, kickbacks, imagine what sorts of impact those kinds of things are going to have on the equipment of any given legion, and possibly even the evolution of Roman armament in general. It's fascinating stuff, to me, how that sort of thing interacts with things like weapon acquisition.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

On the economics of the overlap: the Roman military was so large any new sword design would have created a huge surplus of the old design.

[@nigelcade7953]

How did the Carthaginians influence Roman swords and weapons? Given that Iberia was a Carthaginian stronghold and during the 2nd Punic War they inflicted several major defeats on the Romans

[@TJGUNSBESTCHANNEL]

Seems it's a very similar situation to sabers, except that we don't have as many gladius examples as we do sabers.

[@Loki_Firegod]

The fact that gladius just means "sword" also makes interpreting literary sources a bit difficult, especially when you're dealing with later periods and authors who might not use the terms 100% correct. Like Gregory of Tours, who uses a number of older Latin military terms in his texts (which are also in Latin, of course), but doesn't always explain what he actually means. This leads to a number of misconceptions and uncertainties about the Merovingian era, like the idea that either nobody used bow&arrows in war (which is unlikely) or that his texts prove that everybody did use them in war (it doesn't mention usage of any magnitude, just that "javelins, arrows and axes were thrown/shot" before the melee combat started.

[@Intranetusa]

Speaking of weird swords from a different culture, the Romans apparently imported some Han Dynasty swords and/or sword scabbards since there were those types found in a Roman-Bulgarian Necropolis at Chatalka.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

Makes sense they'd bring in some Jian. The Jian already looked fancy by then. Not to mention the Qin and Han Jian were more akin to the later Spatha in terms of blade length.

[@markpileggi643]

More videos? Yes please!