GLADIATOR SWORD SG200 by Art Gladius
This beautiful replica roman gladius has a fully tempered 440 steel blade that has been mirror polished; thus will not rust and requires minimal care. The blade comes factory dull and features a Golden Gladiator Medallion that appears on both front and back of the blade, with Roman styled designs deeply etched down the blades center. The guard and pommel are blackened cast metal with ornate figures highlighted in Gold relief. The pommel depicts a scene of the Roman God Jupiter protecting the Roman Camp, topped with a sculpted golden Imperial Eagle pommel button. The handgrip is of whitened wood and metal. This richly detailed Decorative Model sword has its hilt inscribed with the letters "SPQR" which is an acronym of a Latin phrase, Senātus Populusque Rōmānus ("The Senate and People of Rome"). The handguard includes a round inlay medallion of the Imperial Eagle guarded by winged pegasus on each side. This exquisite collectors piece measures 31 inches in Overall Length.

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. "