ROMAN GLADIUS SWORD (PS-SB137) by CHINA
This Roman Sword features a mirror polished 20" 440 stainless steel blade, is factory semi-sharp and features a highly detailed antiqued silver guard and pommel. The ornate pommel and guard displays imperial eagles, and soldiers in horse drawn chariots . Comes complete with a matching black leather wrapped scabbard with beautifully detailed silver trim and Roman lore embossed imagry. This piece is well balanced and is a fine choice for any collection.

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. "