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Study of the Metallography of some Roman Swords

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

Janet Lang
Janet Lang
Affiliation:
British Museum Research Laboratory
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Extract

While working on some Celtic iron swords a number of references were encountered which contrasted the swords of the Celts and their methods of fighting with those of the Romans. Polybius (200–118 B.C. or later), writing of the battles of Cannae (216 B.C.) and Telamon (225 B.C.), says that the Gauls fought with great courage ‘in spite of the fact that man for man as well as collectively they were inferior to the Romans in point of arms. The shields and swords of the latter were proved to be manifestly superior for defence and attack….’ This was because the Gaulish swords ‘could only give one downward cut with any effect but after this the edges were so turned and the blade so bent that unless they had time to straighten them out with their foot against the ground, they could not deliver a second blow … their blade has no point.’

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 19 , November 1988 , pp. 199 - 216
Copyright
Copyright © Janet Lang 1988. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

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