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Originally Posted by ariel
1. He says that the Roman Gladius Hispaniensis was a purely stabbing weapon and that Roman soldiers were forbidden to use it for slashing. Gladius was a double-edged sword; if it was intended to use as a purely stabbing weapon, what was the purpose of sharp edges? What soldier would even bother to sharpen the sword if the regulations forbade him to use it for slashing? Even Wickipedia cites Livy attesting to the slashing use of the Gladius. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladius |
This is taken from Christopher Amberger from
The Secret History of the Sword, page 162, based on "De re militarii" by the Roman author Flavius Vegetius Renarus (who wrote around A.D. 490):
"They were likewise taught not to cut, but to thrust with their swords. For the Romans not only made a jest of those who fought with the edge of that weapon, but always found them an easy conquest. Astroke with the edges, though made ever with so much force, seldom kills, as the vital parts of the body are defended both by the bone and armor. On the contrary, a stab, although it penetrates but two inches, is generally fatal."