12-30-2014, 09:27 PM
Quote:I think that I have to disagree with the statements that all the Mainz gladius blades were blades with a waist to them, some yes but others are straight after the upper inward curve at the shoulder and this straight edge narrows down until the long taper point begins as with both the Tiberius and the Fulham.
One of the main differentiators between a Fulham and a Mainz gladius is that the former lacks the waisting of the latter. When it comes to the Sword of Tiberius, some (like Albion) already classify that sword as a Fulham, not a true Mainz. Even so, considering its condition and the deterioration of the blade, there is no real way to know whether it actually had any waisting or not though.
Whats the earliest Mainz known of? Compare that to the later known original Gladii Hispaniensii. Maybe it was a slow progression of swords getting wider and shorter. But some fairly recent excavations of early 1st Cent. BC gladii shows they fall in similar dimensions of the others, and aren't similar to the Mainz. Is there evidence of a slow progression or fast?
