Gladius
（
ξίφος; poet.
ἄορ,
φάσγανον). A sword, by the Latin poets called
ensis. The
ancient sword had generally a straight, two-edged blade (
ἄμφηκες), rather broad, and of nearly equal width from hilt to point. Gladiators,
however, used a sword which was curved like a scimitar. In times of the remotest antiquity
swords were made of bronze, but afterwards of iron. The Greeks and Romans wore them on the
left side, so as to draw them out of the sheath (
κόλεος,
vagina) by passing the right hand in front of the body to take hold of the
hilt with the thumb next to the blade. Hence Aeschylus
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Greek Swords and Scabbards. (Guhl and Koner.)
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distinguishes the army of Xerxes by the denomination of
μαχαιροφόρον ἔθνος, alluding to the obvious difference in their
appearance in consequence of the use of the
acinaces instead of the
sword. See
Acinaces.
The early Greeks used a very short sword. Iphicrates, who made various improvements in
armour about B.C. 400, doubled its length, so that an iron sword found in a tomb at Athens,
and represented by Dodwell, was two feet five inches long, including the handle, which was
also of iron. The Roman sword, as was the case also with their other offensive weapons, was
larger, heavier, and more formidable than the Greek. Its length gave occasion to the joke of
Lentulus upon his son-in-law, who was of very low stature, “Who tied my sonin-law to
his sword?” To this Roman sword the Greeks applied the term
σπάθη, which was the name of a piece of wood of the same form used in weaving.
(See
Tela.) The ancient British sword was still larger
than the Roman. The principal ornamentation of the sword was bestowed upon the hilt. See
Capulus.
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1. Monument of an Illyrian Soldier, found at Bingen. 2. Scabbard. (Mayence,
Germany.)
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Gladius is sometimes used in a wide sense, so as to include
pugio (q. v.). In the republican period of Rome, the gladius was worn by magistrates
only when exercising military command. Under the Empire it was one of the insignia of the
emperor and of those nominated by him. The
ius gladii is the right of
criminal jurisdiction conferred by the emperor on provincial governors. See
Arma;
Machaera;
Mucro.
