Weapons of History - the Gladius

The Roman Gladius (or shortsword) is the perfect example of the way weapons technology advanced steadily away from dependence on man's natural ability toward the idea of such technology being a way to equalize a struggle with an opponent whose natural abilities are better. The emphasis on superior technology, coupled with superior techniques and education enabed the Roman army to make an average man as effective or more effective than a stronger, faster man.

Picture two cavemen in a battle with the big, stereotypical clubs of the cartoons. Their goal is to bash each other. Assuming it's not an ambush situation, it's easy to see that the winner of such an encounter would typically be whichever man had the better combination of strength, dexterity, reflexes, and hand speed. This is the starting point of weapons technology - a point which relies totally on the intrinsic abilities of the combatant to determine his effectiveness. The other end of the spectrum at this point, is today's modern weapons. Two soldiers who are skilled in it's use will be equally effective with an AK47, regardless of which man is stronger or faster. The Gladius represented a turning point in this evolution, the first time a nation shifted this emphasis from who's bigger and stronger to who has a better weapon and tactics. This shift in emphasis caught the rest of the world flat-footed and allowed the Roman empire to roll roughshod over their arguably more primative enemies (at least primative in terms of military tactics).

Contrary to popular belief, the Gladius was a weapon that was capable of being used as an effective cutting weapon. This was, however more of an attack of convenience than one of design. If the opportunity presented itself, a Roman infantryman could slash and chop at the legs of his opponents, thus causing injury and incapacity.

The general tactics of the Roman infantry when faced with another force was as follows:

The infantry, in formation, would cast their Pila (javelins) as soon as range allowed. While this could very well kill an enemy with the right strike, the main point of the tactic was to cause disarray in the battle lines of the enemy. Once the armies came to hand-to-hand range, the well-organized formation the Romans were so famous for made itself felt. An uneven enemy line clashing with an organized Roman line would find itself in a situation where it's individual warriors were faced with soldiers working in teams to defeat them. This fact was made worse for the enemy by the design of the Gladius itself. Those more primative weapons that required strength and speed to utilize tended to be large weapons creating a "danger zone" around one using them. A line of warriors swinging broadswords couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder because they would either injure each other or interfere with each others' ability to effectively use their weapons. The Romans, on the other hand, stood shoulder to shoulder and used the Gladius as a thrusting weapon. This could give them, effectively, a numerical advantage at the point of contact. In other words, one enemy would find himself forced to try and defend himself from two or three Romans at once.

The Gladius represented a leap forward in technology and strategy that changed warfare forever, and even contained the seeds of the Industrial Revolution. The Roman Empire's ability to win battles by standardizing weaponry and adopting tactics to take advantage of this standardization caused a subtle change in the thinking of many, much like the concept of mass producing machine parts streamlined the manufacture, use, and repair of equipment during the Industrial Revolution.

BladeMaster Steve is a staff writer at HeavenlySwords.com, your online retailer and importer of high quality medieval swords. For great deals on fantasy swords visit them today!