Roman Swords

The Roman gladius was mostly a stabbing weapon, unlike the slicing single edged katana of Japan and hacking broadsword of Great Britain. The double sided spatha was a longer sword that was used in a cutting motion (Southern). (This is not the same as the katana’s slicing.) The spatha was the longer sword, on average a foot longer than the gladius. Worldwide, the double sided gladius can be classified as a stabbing weapon, where strength and opportunity was more important than mobility and technique. The spatha was used more for ranged attacks. The cuts with this double sided weapon were meant to aim at the organs of the gut or any other exposed area. The Roman weapons were designed for maximum damage in a single strike, not precision. Similar to this was the double sided British broadsword, also called a Claymore in Scotland and sometimes Ireland, was a designed to combat the heavy armor of the era (Sword). The broadsword was between the length of the gladius and spatha. The Japanese katana was a slicing weapon designed to make the most contact possible while also optimizing mobility and formality.

Swords are designed with armor in mind. For example, the katana would be useless against the heavy British armor, where it could not penetrate but optimal against the Roman armor, where many limbs are exposed (Guttman). In some cultures, we can see a direct correlation in the designs of the sword through time. An example of this is the gladius and broadsword. The broadsword was developed after the gladius and undeniably shares characteristics, with most of the parts being similar and identical. This is not the case with the katana. The katana’s tsuba, or guard, and tsuka, handle, (Parts of a Katana) are designed completely differently than the gladius’ guard and hilt (Sword). These three weapons, from three different parts of the world, are very different in design, purpose and functionality in different areas.

There were advantages and disadvantages to each weapon. The katana was far superior to the broadsword in terms of mobility. A fighter would be able to swing the katana on many different sides easily, even in a figure eight with little to no effort, but that would be nearly impossible with the broadsword. If pure strength is being considered, the broadsword is the best sword of the three while the katana is the weakest. The gladius and spatha are mixtures of both of these, with the spatha sharing most similarities with a katana and the gladius being most closely related to the European broadsword.

In terms of armor, certain swords would be completely useless. As stabbing and slicing weapons, the gladius and katana would be useless against the heavily built and sturdy British armor. The broadsword is the only weapon that would be able to make any effective attacks. The British armor would distribute the weight of the blow through the armor, redirecting it as to not harm the soldier. The Japanese armor would not be very effective against anything except the katana. That armor is designed to protect from slicing attacks and not let one or two through. With enough strength, it would be easily penetrated with the gladius, spatha or broadsword. Finally, the Roman armor would again, only be effective against the gladius and spatha. There are many uncovered limbs that would be easily cut with the katana. And the tremendous weight of the broadsword, especially with a downward thrust designed to hit the head, would make it ineffective with those blades.

Katana Demonstration


Works Cited


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