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Discover the anatomy of the Pompeii-type gladius, one of the characteristic short swords of the Roman infantry.

A surviving example from Trimontium in Scotland has an iron blade approximately 49.5 cm long and 5 cm wide. Its edges remain nearly parallel for most of their length before narrowing into a short triangular point.

Roman sword grips also reveal remarkable craftsmanship. Surviving bone handles have pronounced finger-grip ridges and a central channel designed to accommodate the iron tang.

This cinematic CGI weapon breakdown explores the blade geometry, double cutting edges, hilt construction and connection between the tang and the bone grip.

The blade and hilt references come from separate archaeological finds; the complete sword shown is a plausible reconstruction.

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Transcript
00:00This Roman sword stayed straight for most of its blade, then narrowed to a sharp point.
00:08Its bone grip had three ridges and a central channel for the tang.
00:17Its double edges made it useful for thrusting, stabbing and hacking in close combat.

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