05-25-2006, 01:34 AM
Quote:There are enormous difficulties involved in producing long steel blades that are actually functional in battle. To claim that the Romans could all have been equipped with a spatha demonstrates a lack of metallurgical understanding.
Never said that. I only stated that they could have given spathas where the situation required cutting more than thrusting. I don't see Roman cavalry using the gladius, do I?
As for gladius being able to cut, I have already said that they could. So could the Han "jian" be used to cut as well as thrust, but compared to the Han "dao"? A dao is much more suited for cutting, just as a jian is much more suited for thrusting. It's the same relationship with the spatha and the gladius.
Besides, the Polybius example given is of the early Spanish gladius. The gladius evolved several times after that period.
Rick Lee
