Sources for gladius hilt materials

[marcos]

almost the some for me , I'm not a professional restorer so it's just my personal interest that brought me so far. I have studied gladii and pugiones for several years and now I think that all books you can read , although essential, are not enough to a deep and complete acquaintance. Re-hilting gladii I try to understand all their backdoors as well as possible.
Anyhow it is fun .

But now we have a new handle of gladius to talk about. It' s really a bomb !
Some days ago appeared on the web this, from a gladius hispaniensis :



what do you think about the 3 roundels ? What was their employment? Surely the grip not was from bone nor wood , both rigid and without requirement of those roundels. But so? seems like they are a support to a soft handle , made from leather or something else, but that is really hard to image.
As far I can remember I never seen before one like this one.