10-31-2009, 05:18 AM
Hey all,
So there was something I've been wondering about the gladii and the waisting of the blades. So as I understand it the waisting of the blade was most pronounced in the Mainz Gladius, and while it was there in the Fulham it was much more subtle and then it was gone in the Pompeii.
So most of the sites and sources I've seen mention that the Mainz style is waisted, but I've had some difficulty finding anything about to what degree. From the British Museum website it says the width of the Sword of Tiberius is 7 cm, which is approximately 2.75", but it doesn't say at which part of the blade. I'm working on the assumption that it is at the base of the blade at the guard. Is there any record about to what degree the curve of the waisting is and how narrow the blades usually get? From the pictures I've seen the waisting feature of the blades, even on the mainz style, was subtle and not extreme, but I'm having some trouble getting a good idea of how much there is from the historical images I've been able to find.
I'm not sure if I'm just not looking for the right key words in books like B&C or in the search parameters on the forum.
So there was something I've been wondering about the gladii and the waisting of the blades. So as I understand it the waisting of the blade was most pronounced in the Mainz Gladius, and while it was there in the Fulham it was much more subtle and then it was gone in the Pompeii.
So most of the sites and sources I've seen mention that the Mainz style is waisted, but I've had some difficulty finding anything about to what degree. From the British Museum website it says the width of the Sword of Tiberius is 7 cm, which is approximately 2.75", but it doesn't say at which part of the blade. I'm working on the assumption that it is at the base of the blade at the guard. Is there any record about to what degree the curve of the waisting is and how narrow the blades usually get? From the pictures I've seen the waisting feature of the blades, even on the mainz style, was subtle and not extreme, but I'm having some trouble getting a good idea of how much there is from the historical images I've been able to find.
I'm not sure if I'm just not looking for the right key words in books like B&C or in the search parameters on the forum.
Binoy Fernandez
