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I found this term in another Osprey book...I thought the term was gladius hispaniensis?
Is this another term, or is it incorrect? Duncan?
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Eagles in the Storm released in UK on March 23, 2017.
Aguilas en la tormenta saldra en 2017.
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The following names are all used by Roman authors: gladius hispanus (Livy), gladius hispaniensis (Livy again) and gladius hispanicus (Quadrigarius - a 1st century BC historian). All mean "Spanish sword".
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You are correct that the sword is conventionally known as the gladius Hispaniensis ("sword from Spain"). (Livy once calls it a gladius Hispanus, or "Spanish sword", in one of the early books.)
Interestingly, the literary collector Aulus Gellius quotes an earlier historian named Quadrigarius for the story of Titus Manlius Torquatus and his epic combat with a Gallic champion. In the story, he refers to Torquatus' sword as a Hispanicus (a "Spanish"). I believe that this falls into line with the ancient convention for naming items according to the (perceived) place of origin, like the Gallica ("Gallic") for a chainmail cuirass.
