00:00For centuries, battlefield soldiers relied on a short blade called the gladius.
00:05And as I mentioned in a previous video, it means sword.
00:08But more importantly, mounted cavalry needed a longer blade to reach their targets from horseback.
00:15Therefore, blacksmiths carved deep grooves and hollow channels down the center of the steel to reduce the weight of long
00:22blades.
00:23Surprisingly, this sword proved so effective that frontline soldiers adopted it everywhere.
00:28It was named the spatha, meaning long sword, which later formed the ancestors of medieval knights' swords.
