Which side to wear the Gladius?

[John M McDermott]

Most re-enactors follow the rule of wearing the gladius on the right side, so long as they are not centurions. I wonder what the evidence for this rule is, particularly for the Republic? A follow on question would be was this rule strictly followed during all periods of Roman military history?

[PhilusEstilius]

John.

That is an interesting question for when we read Josephus he tells us that the roman soldiers had their sword on the left side and the dagger to the right.

Then of course we have to ask ourselves was Josephus looking at the soldier from the front and if so it would appear as such to him, or is he giving us a glimpse into history that we are not aware of we wonder.

Then again if we look at some soldiers on the Adamklissi we find some troopers with scabbards at their left sides.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

With no belts on too.

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

I'm no expert, but from what I've read this is how I understand it:

From the 3rd Century BC to the reigns of Augustus/Tiberius, all Roman officers and soldiers wear their sword on the right sides of their bodies

The earliest evidence for centurions wearing their swords on the left dates to the 31 BC - AD 37 period

In AD 193 or a few years afterwards, Septimius Severus allows all soldiers to wear their swords on the left

Tombstone evidence suggests that Severus' reforms didn't reach all the auxiliary and naval units until the first couple decades of the 3rd Century

[Crispvs]

I think that the convention of Roman soldiers wearing their swords on the right is based mainly on their being consistently positioned on the right hip on most of the Rhineland etc stelae. This applies to both legionaries and auxilia. They are also shown on the right hip on the Domitius Ahenobarbus and Aemilius Paulus sculptures. I think that Rhineland etc. sculptures also provided the basis for the idea that centuriones and some standard bearers wore their swords on the left. Certainly both M. Favonius Facilis and M. Caelius are shown wearing theirs on the left.
Later stelae of ordinary soldiers, dating to the third century AD consistently show swords carried on the left.

In addition to this, we have the Mainz column bases, dating to the Flavian period, which show swords worn on both the right and the left, and the Adamklissi metopes, dating to the early second century AD, which also show swords on both right and the left. Without checking I cannot be absolutely sure but I am pretty sure off the top of my head that legionaries on the Adamklissi metopes tend to be shown with their swords on the right whereas auxilia tend to be shown with their swords on the left.
Josephus, writing of the Roman army in Judea in the late AD60s, says that they wore "two swords, one longer than the other, with the longer one worn on the left". This is generally interpreted as meaning that they wore both a sword and a dagger. I am not sure if Josephus mentions whether the soldiers in question were legionaries or auxiliaries, and I don't have a copy to hand at the present moment to check.

From practical experience we know that wearing the sword on the right is practical and still allows the sword to be drawn and resheathed easily, showing that a position on the right need not be simply an artistic convention, as some have suggested it to be in the past. However, as I hope has now been demonstrated, there is sufficient evidence to show that swords were also worn on the left during the mid to late first century AD and beyond, expecially by auxilia. It may have been a matter of personal preference or it may have been that particular arrangements were specific to certain units.

Crispvs

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

To add a note to Crispvs's mention of Josephus, there is some ambiguity as to whether he is stating what he sees from his own perspective, or from the soldiers he observed perspective. It's not crystal clear on that one.

[M. Demetrius]

One thing is sure, though: the best side to wear a gladius is on the OUTside. :wink: :lol: