End of falcata use?

[john m roberts]

Does anyone have information concerning when the falcata went out of use? Or why? It was an excelent design and very popular, but by the third century AD we seem to be down to just the gladius and spatha. Is there a latest find date?

[Celer]

Salve,

The latest find of a Falcata that I know of is a blade from Dura Europas, originally identified as a spear-head, and then re-classified as a falcata blade by Simon James. He believes it was ancient when deposited, so it would either be a votive offering left behind in a temple, or an earlier deposit.

Vale,

Celer.

[Sean Manning]

Its just a guess, but perhaps because nobody 'sexy' still used it as a major weapon? Never underestimate the influence of fashion on small details of kit. Just look at how the Mameluk scimitar spread across Europe because the Frenchmen who beat them thought they were cool, or how popular 'German' fashions were in the late Roman army.

[PhilusEstilius]

It has been said that the Falcata was more of a slashing or chopping weapon, infact it is one that not only covered the whole range of Med'. countries from Spain to the middle east. It even goes all the way into Asia and is still in use today in Nepal as the Kukri, it may well have gone out of use as Sean Manning mentions. I think that the Roman style of battle with it's shield wall and short thrusting Gladius may have over shadowed it into history.

[Q. Vipsanivs Praetextatvs]

Iberian falcata was a thrusting/slashing weapon, that shows lasts investigations made by Quesada.

[john m roberts]

It's pretty clear that the gladius was the superior weapon for legionary formation combat, but the Mediterranean world had a lot of soldiers who weren't legionaries. Even the Roman armies had auxilia armed with their native weapons. The falcata seems to have sen the height of its use in the 2nd-1st centuries BC, then tapered off after that, supplanted first by the gladius, then by the spatha (which was pretty much the old Gallic longsword in a toga). The falcata was a devastating cutter, but you had to get very close to your enemy to use it properly.

[Thersites]

If by using the term 'falcata' (a modern term BTW) you mean a particular type of sword used by some Iberian peoples in Southeastern Spain (it was not even typical of all Iberian peoples) then it appeared around 500 BC, reached its highest c. 400-300 BC and probably disappeared in early Augustean times, c. 30 BC or a bit later, although some probably remained in use for a longer period as heirlooms, booty, etc.
The falcata was a relatively short double edged sword, adept both at thrusting, cutting and slashing, and therefore multipurpose, quite useful in close order formation as well as in more open combat.

If on the other hand you meant the whole family of kopides/machairaitypes, of which the falcata -being two edged- is but one specific and quite peculiar type, then it is a altogether completely different matter in historical, cultural and typological terms. There are examples of close prototypes even before the seventh century BC, distant prototypes evan in the 10th century in northern Illyria, and it probably was in use in Caesar's time and even later.
As for the kukri, it has nothing to do with the falcata in thems of size, weight, an even shape if you look closely. I even have serious doubts that it should be classed within the same general family of machairai/kopides/ falcatas and even (as it is often said) with the Bronze Age egyptian khopesh[/i]

[Timotheus]

One thought.

Cost matters. The simple shape and design of the gladius lends itself to mass production much more easily than the curved falcata with its elaborate.

When you are making tens of thousands of them even the smallest savings will matter.

Also. Can a falcata (double edged, curved iberian short sword) really be sheathed all that effectively? The shape and design makes me wonder if it was sheathed and how.

[Thersites]

Yes, the Iberia falcata was sheathed and suspended using a baldric, just as greek machaidai/kopides. Lots of archaeological and iconographic info on that.
See for example
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... 902#116902