What was better the spatha or gladius?

The Spatha It was double-edged, with a short handle and a tapered point. However, it was longer, roughly 30-40 inches long. This gave the spatha more reach than the gladius. As such, it was very popular with cavalry units.

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.

Why did Romans switch to spatha?

The breakdown of discipline in the legions decreased the reliability and coherency of the Roman battle line, making the spatha a better choice for the individual fighter, as opposed to the gladius, which really only worked well when used in tight coherency.

Why did the spatha replace the gladius?

How much does a spatha weight?

between 500 and 700 grams
Most original blades of this type tend to weigh between 500 and 700 grams, unmounted. Their length is not too different from some swords of the early Imperial period, but have grown broader and more massive and show greater variation in cross section.

Why did the Romans switch to the spatha?

How was the gladius effective to those who used it?

The Roman Gladius was most effective used in formation behind the protection of a Roman shield wall. The soldiers would interlock their shields (scutum) giving their opponents virtually no target to strike. They would thrust beside or over the shields cutting down their enemies while the formation advanced.

What were 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.