Sources for gladius hilt materials

[Gregg]

There are a good number of previous topics that deal directly or incidentally with sword furniture, as I recall. My own feeling is that the Romans specifically produced a restrictive grip that did not really allow for any sophisticated "fencing." The gladius seems to have been a workman-like tool, designed more for basic (though obviously effective) chopping and stabbing than for any elaborate cutting and thrusting.

Gregg