What was the spatha made of?
The Roman Spatha hilt was comprised of a guard plate, a guard, a grip and a pommell. The design for our replica Spatha was created using similar dimensions to several roman swords that have been found. The guard plate would be manufactured out of Brass and the hilt components out of Hard Maple wood.
What is a Roman spatha?
The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between 0.5 and 1 m (19.7 and 39.4 in), with a handle length of between 18 and 20 cm (7.1 and 7.9 in), in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries AD. The Roman spatha was used in war and in gladiatorial fights.
What is a Roman gladius?
Gladius (Latin: [ˈɡɫad̪iʊs̠]) is a Latin word meaning “sword” (of any type), but in its narrow sense, it refers to the sword of ancient Roman foot soldiers. A soldier generally led with the shield and thrust with the sword.
What happened to the gladius and the spatha?
The heavy infantry, on the other hand, was a little less maneuverable but made up for it with the reach of their spatha swords. The gladius had essentially disappeared by the end of the Roman Empire, but the spatha actually outlived Rome itself.
What is the difference between spatha and greatgladius?
Gladius is used for stabbing or thrusting into the opponent’s body, whereas Spatha is used for slashing the opponent.
Why was the spatha so popular in the Roman Empire?
As such, it was very popular with cavalry units. Just as the gladius was based on swords the Romans encountered in battle, the spatha was inspired by the long swords of Celts in Germany and Britain. Germanic warriors who fought as allies of the Romans kept their longer swords, and the practice seems to have rubbed off onto the Romans.
Who used the spatha sword?
Spatha was used by the Romans as a replacement for Gladius. The Romans got first introduced to this sword by Celtic Mercenaries during the Second Punic War. It was used in the Roman Empire from the 1st to 6th centuries AD. But it replaced Gladius during the late 2nd to 3rd century.