The Roman Gladius sword is a typical sword from ancient Rome, used by the Legions. It had a lenght of about 2 feet (though they could be customized) and a straight, double-edged blade.
The romans were very handy at the time of killing their enemies: sticking the tip of the Gladius in the opponents body was enough. The name of “gladiator” may come from the name of this sword.
The roman Gladius were adapted from the short swords used by Celtiberian merecenaries (hispaniensis gladius) in the service of Hannibal, during the Punic Wars.
The purpose of using this powerful weapon, considered the best sword ever existed from the practical and strategical point of view, that caused more deaths in antiquity, was marked by the Middle Empire.
The gladius falcata was improved by the change of metal, which made it lighter. The gladius was designed for fast thrusting attacks; this was convenient, because the Roman legionary carrying the swords, took shelter behind a scutum; once the enemy discharged unnecessarily the hit on the Roman shield or armor, or was about to do, the Roman threw a quick thrust wits its agile gladius sword, stabbing and killing the opponent.
The gladius was replaced by Spatha, copied from the Germanic barbarians.
