Gladius
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Gladius is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin
Replica Pompeii gladius
A sword of the Iron Age Cogotas II culture in Spain.
The Mainz Gladius on display at the British Museum, London
Re-enactor with Pompeii-type gladius
Xiphos
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The xiphos is a double-edged, one-handed Iron Age straight shortsword used by the ancient Greeks. It was a secondary battlefield weapon for the Greek armies after the dory or javelin. The classic blad
Gladius
…within Latin, the word also came to mean "sword", regardless of the type used. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called xiphe (pl., sing.: xiphos). From the 3rd century BC, however, the Romans adopted a weapon based on the sword of the Celtiberians of Hispania in service to…
Modern reconstruction of a Greek xiphos and scabbard.
Actaeon holding a xiphos. Painted vase from Metaponto, c. 390–380 BC
Iron xiphos, Thessaloniki museum
Iron xiphos, kopis and iron spear heads, Thessaloniki Museum