04-13-2004, 02:59 PM
Gashford,<br>
I had the opportunity to examine this sword when it was loaned the the Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum Mainz (with thanks to Dr. Decker). the blade is hardly corroded at all. This seems to be an unusal variation of the standard Pompeii, much narrower then most, and then the peculiar teardrop tip. I only know of one other, and I have it! I believe it was dredged from the Danube in the Balkans, and still has river sand and gravel imbedded in it. It is just as narrow as the Mainz/Guttman, and it too has the swelled teardrop tip. Yes you probably could punch through a mail shirt with that tip!<br>
<br>
The story I heard of how the Mainz/Guttman sword was found was that it was scooped up from a building site in Mainz, put in a dumptruck and dumped in a sandlot where a detectorist found it protruding from the sandpile! As I understand it, because it was found in a deplaced sand heap, and not taken from the actual excavation, the detectorist was allowed to keep it.<br>
<br>
There may be more evidence of this narrow type gladius in the many quite narrow chape plates found that are usually identified as belonging to a Spatha, but could just as easily fit on one of this type of narrow Gladius.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>
I had the opportunity to examine this sword when it was loaned the the Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum Mainz (with thanks to Dr. Decker). the blade is hardly corroded at all. This seems to be an unusal variation of the standard Pompeii, much narrower then most, and then the peculiar teardrop tip. I only know of one other, and I have it! I believe it was dredged from the Danube in the Balkans, and still has river sand and gravel imbedded in it. It is just as narrow as the Mainz/Guttman, and it too has the swelled teardrop tip. Yes you probably could punch through a mail shirt with that tip!<br>
<br>
The story I heard of how the Mainz/Guttman sword was found was that it was scooped up from a building site in Mainz, put in a dumptruck and dumped in a sandlot where a detectorist found it protruding from the sandpile! As I understand it, because it was found in a deplaced sand heap, and not taken from the actual excavation, the detectorist was allowed to keep it.<br>
<br>
There may be more evidence of this narrow type gladius in the many quite narrow chape plates found that are usually identified as belonging to a Spatha, but could just as easily fit on one of this type of narrow Gladius.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>
