04-14-2007, 01:48 AM
No, it's a gladius hispaniensis, a longer style dating back to the Punic War era. The blades ran 24 to 27 inches and tended to be slim, some straight-edged and others slightly waisted. They seem to have been used through Caesar's time (when the Mainz was apparently coming into use), but finally went away in favor of the shorter types.
The reconstruction in Junklemann's book doesn't have the right pommel. On the original, there were 7 (or 8 ) iron nails apparently arranged in a radial pattern, with their points stuck to the tip of the tang. They might have run around the middle of the pommel, or been at the top and "hung" down over the top of it. Not sure what the current wisdom is on that. The original scabbard had only TWO rings, both on the same side, like my own hispaniensis:
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/hispan1.jpg
Yeah, the usual drawings of the Delos don't show enough detail!
Vale,
Matthew
The reconstruction in Junklemann's book doesn't have the right pommel. On the original, there were 7 (or 8 ) iron nails apparently arranged in a radial pattern, with their points stuck to the tip of the tang. They might have run around the middle of the pommel, or been at the top and "hung" down over the top of it. Not sure what the current wisdom is on that. The original scabbard had only TWO rings, both on the same side, like my own hispaniensis:
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/hispan1.jpg
Yeah, the usual drawings of the Delos don't show enough detail!
Vale,
Matthew
Matthew Amt (Quintus)
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
