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.