Legionary Equipment During Reign of Marcus Aurelius

[Nathan Ross]

Would this period have been too early for the introduction of the Spatha as regular issue for a legionnaire?

Spatha was not a definite term, and gladius just means 'sword', so it's hard to know where one type of weapon ends and another begins!

Take a look at Simon James, Rome and the Sword, page 185 - he gives some average blade lengths for the mid to late 2nd century. It seems that the rather short-intermediate blade (600-700mm) was most common until about 201, when average blade length suddenly increases. James also suggests that the two swords from the Canterbury burial (shown p.184) might have been typical of this sort of longer 'gladius' pattern weapon of the later 2nd century.

(Legionary is the more accepted term for a Roman soldier, btw; 'legionnaire' usually refers to a soldier of the French Foreign Legion!)