“My favorite sword, hands down, has always been the gladius,” Lienhart said. The shortsword was the standard sidearm of the Roman legion ... cutting fullers — long, deep channels in the ...

The Roman Empire was created and controlled ... Each legionnaire (or 'miles') carried a short sword, called a gladius. This was his main weapon. He also carried a 'pilum' (javelin), a helmet ...

But what exactly made the Roman army so successful ... Up close, he would thrust a deadly stabbing sword called a gladius and they used a large shield called a scutum to protect themselves.