|
|
The Gladius is undoubtedly was the most famous Roman infantry weapon, despite originally being copied from a Hispanic short short encountered by the Romans during their early wars in Spain. It survived from the Republican period into the mid Imperial period as the main melee weapon of the Roman Legions, and is considered to have played a major part in the development of the brutal fighting style that made the Roman army so dangerous in battle.
This book covers an impressive range of topics in its relatively short length. We get a look at how the gladius entered Roman service, how it evolved over time (soon losing many of the features inherited from the Hispanic original), what made it special (having a point suitable for stabbing actions and two edges suitable for cutting made it more flexible in combat than swords designed for one or the other), how it was constructed (in many different ways it turns out) and how it was used in combat. This was a controversial issue at the time, and ever since, with ancient writers split on if it should be used as a stabbing or cutting weapons, which then had an impact on how the Legions would deploy (the cutting weapon needing bigger gaps between soldiers).
We finish with a look at its legacy, both as the enduring image of the Roman soldier and in more modern weapons, including a 19th century French sword based very heavily on it! As you would expect the book is very well illustrated, with photographs of original Roman swords, modern reconstructions and artwork showing how they may have been used. This is an excellent study of a weapon that was a key part of the Roman military arsenal at the time when they created and then maintained their empire.
Chapters
Introduction
Development
Use
Impact
Conclusion
Author: M.C. Bishop
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 80
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2016