Semispathae

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

In collins the meaning of semi- is 'half.

But can't find any relation to penis or phallus conected to gladius.....but then they don't have the word phallus either, so perhaps they are a bit prudish too? LOL

[M. Demetrius]

I've read in fiction stories that "gladius" was a soldier slang for penis, but I doubt you'd find that in a Latin dictionary. Might not be true, anyway. Gladius in a normal way, you're right, just means "sword". Sometimes it's used for one kind, sometimes for another. So Gladiolus would, indeed, mean "little sword".

I'm of the same mind as GJC, that semispatha would be a nickname for a sword somewhere between the gladius and spatha, but I couldn't prove it if asked to.

[Iagoba]

"Vagina" is the word with both senses...and if you put your gladius in a vagina... calling the penis "gladius" comes easily.

In Spanish we still use "vaina" as sword scabbard, and as equivalent for "pod" (even racing ones :mrgreen: ).

[koechlyruestow]

Grosse (Römische Militärgeschichte 1920) cites the Greek and Latin version of a source from the early Byzantine period, that shows that in the 6th century CE, a century afer Vegetius, the Latin semispathium (!) was translated as the Greek paramèrion. Now this second weapon would later, in the 9th century CE, be designated as a one-edged cavalry sword or sabre of the Pallasch-type, but apparently, in the 6th century it was still a short sword for the infantry. As you have shown, short-swords, very much looking like the gladius, have been found that date to the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, so semi-spatha/spathium simply was a new basterd-name for the previous gladius (a term still used in archaising sources, but meaningless to soldiers, because the general name for sword in everyday use was no longer gladius but had become spatha, in the Greek-speaking east spathion). However, since according to the Strategicon of Emperor Maurice (600CE) the infantry should be armed with "Herulian swords" (the Herulians were a Germanic tribe living in the northwest of the Balkan peninsula) and paramèrion means "single-edged", both paramèrion and semispathium could also have referred to a saex-like weapon.

[Agraes]

There are two carolingian sources that mention either a shortsword as part of the regular equipment of the frankish warrior and the semispatha (in the Capitulare Missorum dating from 792).

By then it seems to be indeed another name for the single-edged sax.

In the late roman period it could have been used for the double edged sax of steppic and eastern origin that make their apparition for exemple in Childeric burial or at Pouan.

[koechlyruestow]

Same ambiguety in the Muslim world, where a khanjar/dashna could mean both a short knife or dagger, and something rather larger and heavier, capable of lopping off someone's arm, and used while fighting on foot. In fact, 10-11th century Byzantine and Muslim depictions of infantry show both stabbing swords and slashing swords, but much more elegant than the gladius and saex, more like a medieval poniard and a large butcher's knife respectively.

[XorX]

These early Saxes of eastern origin are never double-edged.Or better: I don`t know a single double-edged piece

[Virilis]

What if the "semi-spatha" was a some kind of pugio? I know the latest pugio finds are from the late third c. AD and there are no finds after that. Some late pugiones had enormous blades up to 38 cm and there is one relief which shows an enemy of Constantine II wielding a big pugio (see pics attached) from the middle of the fourth c. AD. I would love to make a reconstruction of such blade or is this too far fetched?

[M. Val. Naso]

I wouldn't say it's impossible, but the current evidence IMO leads us to think some kind of non-pugio close combat weapon.

We have Vegetius explicitly mentioning semispathae as a standard weapon. We have finds of short swords, of which we can tell, that they weren't just cut-off broken/bent spathae. We have experience, which shows us, that in a shield-contacting combat distance, the 700-900 mm blade length spatha is basically useless.

IMO the only possible solution here is a sub-500 mm blade length thrusting weapon, which correlates with numerous finds according to the Miks book.

[Agraes]

These early Saxes of eastern origin are never double-edged.Or better: I don`t know a single double-edged piece

My mistake as the Pouan sax is parralel-sided but indeed single-edged.
Now see this article about Childeric burial and especially figure 6 with discussion of sassanian exemples. Looks like the latte could have been double-edged.
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/pre...m_3_1_1528

Be them single or double-edged the 5th century sax and latte seems likely candidates for the semispatha of Vegetius.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I could definately see Aetius' troops carrying Seaxes as sidearms, especially considering many of his recruits would have been Frisian Refugees, Saxons, and Franks coming from the modern-day Netherlands.

[M. Val. Naso]

There aren't any seax finds in roman military context, which I'm aware of, also the "northern recruit"-theory would just roll our problem further, without giving an explanation. Though there is a possibility, that each area's soldiers used it's own barbarian short sword, but then what about the non-barbarian recruits?

[Agraes]

I'm not considering the later "germanic" sax, which is seen mostly from the 6th century onwards but earlier sax and lattes of (pick up your own theory) steppic, danubian, eastern roman or sassanian origin.
Along with new fashions brought west by the Huns and Goths this kind of weapon seems to have become valued by the germanic elites but it seems possible to me it was also used by the 5th century western roman army. See Graham Sumner's illustration of one of Aetius' hunnic bodyguards for exemple in Osprey Roman Military Clothing 3. Same kind of weaponry also depicted in the second volume of D'Amato book about centurions.

[XorX]

Now see this article about Childeric burial and especially figure 6 with discussion of sassanian exemples. Looks like the latte could have been double-edged.

Be them single or double-edged the 5th century sax and latte seems likely candidates for the semispatha of Vegetius.

Which article do you mean?

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Could you post that Image Agraes? The only illustration I have is one of a Burgundian Retainer.

Also I said the Sax could be a candidate that would fit the timeframe of the 5th century. Aetius used a lot of Germanic recruits to supplement his Romans, although it's likely the two armies looked the same as Ferreolus supplied the Barbarians with Roman Equipment.