Legionary Equipment During Reign of Marcus Aurelius

[brennivs - tony drake]

It's that bleeding Vegetivs fault for all this mix up   Nathan is spot on. Valarian I would drop the mention of spatha, you need a infantry sword slightly longer than the 1st AD sword. To me the spatha is a cavalry weapon at this time. My research into the depiction of soldiers well into the 3rd AD shows soldiers wearing  swords that comes just below the knee so approximately a 2ft blade. I have made quite a few spathas from 3rd AD onwards and have a good knowledge of how they lie against the body. Also the increase in finds of spatha style swords from 3rd AD onwards, they is no context of the swords found that says, infantry soldiers were using these swords, considering the increase in the use of the cavalry. My thoughts are after around 25Os AD then swords  start to become in the style of a spatha blade and with the other longer styles found going into the 4th AD onwards. Even looking through Miks book at blades with the classic spatha profile, the length of the blades of around 2ft is a comftable length of a usable infantry sword but it is not the same blade profile as the longer wider stabbing style blades that run along side them. Even some of the swords classified by Miks as spatha I would say they are infantry swords by there profile. So good luck with your choice of blade. 
Regards Brennivs