Spatha
The spatha was a long double-edged sword known in Roman equipment. Blade and hilt dimensions varied by type and date. In the early empire such swords are especially associated with cavalry; they became increasingly prominent in infantry equipment during the second and third centuries.
Like the gladius, the spatha allowed thrusting and cutting. Vegetius 1.12 discusses the advantage of the thrust in training, but is not a separate account of the spatha alone.
Long swords of La Tène tradition, Roman finds and Germanic equipment show exchanges of forms and technologies. Migration-period swords should be distinguished from later Carolingian swords of the eighth to tenth centuries; the latter do not belong to the early migration period.
Spatha,presumably auxilic. Iron. Newstead. National Museum of Scotland. 80-100 AD
Roman spatha from the early 2nd century, Israel Museum
Spats. Up - Herford museum,Down-Shrewsbury museum. 2-3 century ADRelated topics
Literature and sources
- Aleksić M. Some typological features of Byzantine spatha / / Zbornik radova Vizantoloshkog instituta.
- 2010.
- T. XLVII.
- pp. 121-136.
- DOI: 10.2298/ZRVI1047121A.
- M.C. Bishop. Spatha. The Roman long sword.
- Simon Timothy James, The Arms and Armour from Dura-Europos, Syria.
Blades of spathas from Illerup-Ådal, Moesgaard Museum, first half of the 3rd century AD.
Blades of spathas from Illerup-Ådal, Moesgaard Museum, first half of the 3rd century AD.
Drawings of swords from Dura-Europos, mid-3rd century AD.
Blades of spathas from Dura-Europos, mid-3rd century AD.
Roman spata. Bulgarian museum. 1st-4th century AD
Spathas from Nydam Bog, 3rd-4th centuries AD.
Drawings of spathas from Nydam Bog, 3rd-4th centuries AD.
Roman spatha from the 4th century AD, drawing from a soldier's grave in Liebenau.Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
