ROMAN POMPEII GLADIUS SWORD (AH4211) by DEEPEEKA
This Gladius Sword features a 19" carbon steel polished blade is factory dull and comes complete with a leather scabbard with beautifully detailed brass trim depicting two figures and representations of the war-god mars. This faithful recreation is based on the sword pictured in Michael Simkins' Warriors of Rome. The hilt components are hand-made, thus no two are exactly alike. The diamond cross-section blade, heat-treated at Deepeeka for maximum flexibility and cutting performance, has a 50 percent distal taper. This gladius, unlike many others on the market, has a very strong rectangular tang throughout, and is peened and threaded for extra strength. Length: 27 1/2" Weight: 2.5 lbs

The Gladiator and his Gladius
"Dating back nearly 2,100 years this extraordinary blade represented the height of weaponry during Rome's barbaric fascination with gladiatorial combat. According to Methos, its short broader based blade made it lighter and easier to maneuver which was key strategy when the fighting wore on. "The longer the battle, the worse it was," he said. "I watched men so crippled with fatigue that they could barely lift their swords from the ground. When that happened it was, of course, their death knell." Methos salvaged the blade from the beheaded body of a fallen gladiator who had been left to the whims of the vultures. "Removing any article from a dead gladiator was vehemently forbidden and punishable by crucifixion," he said. "But his fate held such powerful symbolism for an Immortal. "