The year is 1200. It is Saturnalia, the general theme of world turned upside down is afoot and the brief new social order is installed. The "Diphos" zombie killer shown in the link above being an example! Spatha Hasta Pugio Gallic Helmet Lorica Hamata Scutum. How much did the ancient Indians know about the Greek world, and vice versa? [–]IphikratesModerator | Greek Warfare 1 point2 points3 points 4 years ago* (1 child). :-), [–]Dis_mah_mobile_one 100Answer Link9 points10 points11 points 4 years ago* (5 children). Wikipedia's history of Santa Claus describes "aggressive home invasions," "sexual deviancy" and a weird parody of Dutch culture. They'd fight against an enemy, figure out the strongest points of their opponent's tactics, and incorporate it into their own system of warfare. (This was asked as a separate question: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/160bxt/why_did_the_romans_gradually_adopt_a_longer_sword/ ). My understanding is that the longer Spatha later became more popular (c. 3rd century AD) for a variety of different reasons and may have been a precursor to Viking swords or medieval arming swords. Their use was designed for the crush of a phalanx, so length wasn't a priority anyways. This makes the sword terrifyingly effective at cutting, much like an axe. : Put new text under old text. It has a carabiner hole for attaching the knife to the harness. My wife and I run a small barley farm in rural Scotland and we just found out she’s pregnant. The two classic ages of Greece existed first at the very end of the Bronze Age and the then at beginning of the Iron Age. The xiphos had to be short because it was intended for use in the crush of phalanx vs. phalanx and was made of bronze. Can you see any reason why this (leaf) shape later fell out of usage given that it is a good design for both cutting and thrusting? What I find puzzling/interesting is why armourers didn't return to the leaf blade shape of the Xiphos around this time but instead only the straight blade evolved and saw continued used. The extensive usage of the Spatha among ancient troops led to the outdatedness of the Gladius from the late second century to the third century. An interactive Latin dictionary, Lewis & Short, based on Andrews, is given at www.Perseus.com, but any good printed Latin dictionary also states the various uses and sources of spatha. Rendered by PID 13244 on r2-app-019b4402814413501 at 2020-12-24 00:36:02.085319+00:00 running 6abf2be country code: TH. Dave Baker said. was used in the middle Archaic period for various types of Iron Age swords. Why is rural New England so much more liberal than other rural areas of the US? What is a battle ready sword? Moderator | Modern Guerrilla | Counterinsurgency, Moderator | Ancient Greece | Ancient Near East, Moderator | Roman Social and Economic History, Moderator | Post-Napoleonic Warfare & Small Arms | Dueling, Moderator | Shipbuilding and Logistics | British Navy 1770-1830, Moderator | Medieval & Earliest Modern Europe. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/160bxt/why_did_the_romans_gradually_adopt_a_longer_sword/. Early Greek (bronze) swords were halfway between straight and leaf-shaped, starting at a broad base and ending in a narrow point. Specifically, why aren't there historical swords that look something like this: which I think could be effective against more than just zombies! Theshort sword orXiphos is a short, double-edged sword of Ancient Greece. What was the rationale behind the unusual leaf shape of the Xiphos and why wasn't it used for longer swords? What are the chances of a slave being punished after the festival for going too far with a mockery or insult of his master? The Romans controlled a vast empire, full of people who weren't always pleased about being conquered, and a resulting war was common. I’m a Japanese soldier who surrendered to the Americans during the war in the Pacific, I have now returned to Japan. Like the Xiphos, the Diphos features the leaf blade profile of ancient Greek design, skinny at the waist and broad at the cutting sweet spot. ; Please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes ( ~~~~). Thus, the classic Xiphos. What was the rationale behind the unusual shape of the Xiphos (ancient Greek sword used by Hoplites) and why was this leaf shaped blade not copied in longer/later swords? The Ancient Greeks often used single-edged blades in warfare, as attested to by art and literature; however, the double-edged, straight, and more martially versatile xiphos is more widely represented. Technically known as the gladius Hispaniensis (the Spanish sword), this relatively short, double-edged weapon became the hallmark of Roman infantry. Examples would be the Gladius and later Spatha. Gladius VS Spatha - Why Did The Empire Abandon ... - YouTube These early ancient Roman swords were called Xiphos. We've just been defeated in the battle of Gravelines and as we attempt our escape South around the island of Ireland my ship is driven ashore in the storms. It is easy to manipulate with its textured wheel, even when wearing gloves, and can be locked in the open position. Why are there no neon colors portrayed in art of fashion before this century? Stygian Iron is mined and forged in the Underworld and cooled in the River Styx, producing a cle… This is the rationale behind later swords being straight even if they copied the Xiphos' diamond cross section. The latter three did not have leaf-shaped blades, but forward-curving ones weighted towards the tip, making them effectively axes disguised as swords. The two ages that Dis_mah_mobile_one refers to are probably the Mycenaean and the Archaic/Classical period. I'm a sailor in the Spanish Armada in 1588. He donned a helmet, breastplate and greaves and carried a short sword at his waist. [–]TheShreester[S] 0 points1 point2 points 4 years ago (0 children). When seen, a Stygian Iron weapon is shown to scare monsters even more than a Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold weapon, possibly because their essence is absorbed into the blade, which possibly prevents the monster from going back to Tartarus to reform. [–]TheShreester[S] 0 points1 point2 points 4 years ago* (0 children). They devoted themselves to being the best of the best. Similarly, the Romans, (who came after them) adopted the Gladius Hispaniensis because they also didn't need a sword longer than 3ft/90cms, as they primarily used it for thrusting. The profile of the blade allows easy cutting of ropes and cordage. How am i seen by Japanese Society ? Suite 14. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Gladius article. ; New to … The arming sword was the standard military sword of the medieval European knight. One thing that made the Roman military so effective is that it was adaptable. There is some confusion here. Deerfield, IL 60015 (847) 766-0630 It is so called because it was worn with armour.It was typically used with a shield or buckler; however, there are many texts and pictures depicting effective arming sword combat without the benefit of a shield. The word does not appear in Homeric Greek, but it is mentioned in the works of Alcaeus of Mytilene (sixth century BC) and Theophrastus(fourth century BC). The Xiphos had a double-edged blade that rarely measures longer than 20 inches, though the Spartans supposedly started using blades as short as 12 inches (30 cm) around the time of the Greco-Persian War. To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. These swords were typically large and heavy and thus required more control. Now, by the time of Thermopylae and the Persian Wars, a different type of rational came with the adoption of Iron. REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc. π Rendered by PID 13244 on r2-app-019b4402814413501 at 2020-12-24 00:36:02.085319+00:00 running 6abf2be country code: TH. Use. Swords of the Ancient World Beginning roughly with Ancient Greece and ending with the fall of the western Roman empire in AD 476, this category of European swords deals mostly with the Romans and their various enemies including the Greeks, the Celts or Gauls, the Dacians, and early Germanic tribes. The term came into use to differentiate the standard single-handed sword from other recently developed types such as the war sword[Clarification needed] and great sword. That's how the Romans came into contact with what would become one of their most definitive weapons: the gladius. Third, just because iron existed didn't mean Greek swords were the high carbon steel of a German messer of two thousand years later. the Gladius and Xiphos are two rather well-known swords from history, but some people who may be reading this may need a reminder or a quick elevator speech on them. Click here to start a new topic. The Spatha, as with the Gladius, was adopted from the Celtic and Germanic people of Europe and eventually adapted to suit their purposes. What the heck was going on in New York at Christmas in the 1770s? The Romans saw that the Spatha was quite successful for cavalry. Roman soldiers had to be prepared to fight, whether it was in the hills of the eastern Mediterranean, the forests of Britain or the river lands of Germany. As well, like the Xiphos, this sword could be tapered to a point, creating an all-round cut and thrust weapon perfect as a backup to the hoplite's spear. The blade widened near the tip and had close to a leaf shape. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Romans used the gladius paired with the scutum, and they didn't bother fencing the man in front, their classic target was the enemy trying to engage the man to the right. What becomes of me and the other survivors? See the quotation from Vegetius given in the introduction to, Articles containing Ancient Greek-language text, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Genealogies, Maps, Glossary & Pictorial Guide to Beowulf, A RECORD OF EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES, A Sword from the Late Viking Age from the Higgins Museum, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Spatha?oldid=4281416, Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls. If you would like to find out more on Greek swords, check out this page, which provides a short summary and lists further reading material. Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events. Our inventory of Roman Swords includes: the Roman Gladius Sword, Pompeii Gladius Roman Sword, Deluxe Julius Caesar’s Sword, Roman Gladius II Sword, Late Roman Spatha, Gladius of Mainz, and the Roman Calvary Sword. This meant that they needed to be versatile, and their weapons reflected that. It is likely that spat… Is there a doctor in the nearby village? In 1920 there was 1 Spatha family living in Indiana. The standard type that persisted throughout the late Bronze and early Iron Age was the Naue type II sword (which looked like this). use the following search parameters to narrow your results: Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. English words for spatha include spatula, slice, ladle and spatha. The year is 1790 and I am a 22 yearold mistress to an English Duke. Later Iron weapons saw the design as an ideal cutting weapon that still retained the ability to thrust, an idea carried on until the end of swordsmanship. I appreciate that the Greeks wouldn't have benefitted from a longer sword as it didn't suit their fighting style. 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