Why wear the sword on the right?

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Roman soldiers wore their pugio on the left, and gladius at the right side, isn't it? Did they have a reason for that? The officers wore gladius left and pugio right, which is much easier to pull your sword. In later times they wore it indeed on the left, but in the Republic and early Empire on the right. Why?

[M. Demetrius]

This has been talked about quite a few times, but it's a good question, nevertheless. I don't think anyone I've read can tell with absolute certainty "why", but the fact is from all the evidence we have, sculptural, mosaics, paintings, etc., they did.

If you have a scutum with the top edge pressed against your shoulder, it would be exceptionally hard to draw any kind of sword from the left side. That seems to be the consensus of opinion, for the most part.

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

This has been talked about quite a few times

:oops:

But I wondered already a long time, and this is the place to ask questions like this.

[caiusbeerquitius]

Sander, RAT has a search function which you can find in the upper left corner of your screen.
It really makes sense to first use it before posting a question, since many questions that come to one´s mind have already been answered.

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

I know the phpBB system and search-thing; but I couldn't find it. Maybe I looked over it?

[M. Demetrius]

this is the place to ask questions like this

It surely is! I didn't mean to sound unfriendly, but was attempting to condense a half a million words into only a few. :wink:

The search feature is at the top of the page, in the title bar, right next to FAQ. http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/search.php

Don't be surprised when you search if you get a hundred choices of threads to choose from. :lol:

[marcii ulpi messala]

Only to remember that the dead soldier in herculano, was carrying the sword in his right hip.

[Marcus Mummius]

Only to remember that the dead soldier in herculano, was carrying the sword in his right hip.

Such a carrying method must have been extremely painful hock: :lol:

[Cornelius Quintus]

Ave Sander,

here are some video-clips from an old thread, featuring the German Group Cohors I Germanorum. They show how easy it is to draw a gladius which is attached at the right side, and how it will look when being integrated in a shield wall.

http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... ed2004.flv

http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... hjemst.flv

http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... lhjems.flv

Straight to the point: you don’t have to move your shield (keep it covering your or in its position in a shield wall), and also won’t hamper your comrade on the left. As Graham Sumner stated in one of his books, the key is how the gladius scabbard is attached (firmly and at the best place for that movement). So drawing even a longer blade will be possible.

[Dagann]

The videos are nice, very helpful and comprehensive.

Ave Sander,
As Graham Sumner stated in one of his books, the key is how the gladius scabbard is attached (firmly and at the best place for that movement). So drawing even a longer blade will be possible.

I could be wrong but i thought the scabbard moved to the left when the spatha was adopted.
I thought it was cause of the longer blade, but may be the spatha on the left hip came with the "barabarian" fashion or the roman horsemen fashion?

I'm not sure the video would be the same with spatha on the right side. :roll:

[Matthew Amt]

Yes, the gladius on the right is nicely back behind you and out of the way when you are in a combat formation, but easily reached and drawn. Some folks say that it couldn't be reached as easily if it were on the left, but I don't find this to be the case. There was some variation anyway. Changing the sword to the left wasn't just a matter of the spatha coming into use, since Gauls wore long swords on the right back in the 2nd to 1st centuries BC. Though I expect you can't do QUITE as fast a draw with a 36" blade as you can with a 19" gladius!

In the end, never underestimate the power of FASHION. They might simply have done it that way because they did it that way!

Matthew

[Mitra]

I doubt that pratical necessities (but the tests are very interesting) are the basis of choice for right or left side. Hoplites use the sword on left side in phalanx and successive shield wall (also roman i late empire) use the sword on the left, so the pratical problems of use the left side in compress formations was not so severe to press for the change, and in the roman case we have a return to left from the right. On the other side we can view that the Gaul use the sword on the right side like Romans, so it is possible some type of fashion exchange.

Ops: I view now we have write the same concept at the same time, Matt

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Ave Sander,

here are some video-clips from an old thread, featuring the German Group Cohors I Germanorum. They show how easy it is to draw a gladius which is attached at the right side, and how it will look when being integrated in a shield wall.

http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... ed2004.flv
http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... hjemst.flv
http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... lhjems.flv

Straight to the point: you don’t have to move your shield (keep it covering your or in its position in a shield wall), and also won’t hamper your comrade on the left. As Graham Sumner stated in one of his books, the key is how the gladius scabbard is attached (firmly and at the best place for that movement). So drawing even a longer blade will be possible.

I see. Very helpful video's, thanks.

[jc02005]

I have read a few articles about why where there sword on one side i forgot why but i will try to find out.





Cheers,
jono


PS:it will be a matter of time till i found out

[Goffredo]

Hi
the trouble I have with the explanations of having gladius on the right is that one should also explain later period spathas were on left. Indeed in the later periods the romans used shield walls too, maybe even more frequently. Maybe the shape of the shield enters the picture too? I am thinking of the big round big shields of the later periods versus the oblong scutum.