Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Spatha
The Spatha is a straight, slashing sword, usually worn by cavalry officers and auxiliaries in later Roman armies.
Usually a longer version of the shorter, leaf-shaped gladius, the spatha is around 75 - 100 cm long (3 feet) but seldom reached a full metre.
Employed by both Roman cavalrymen and their German enemies, later Lombard spathae were actually more advanced than the wrought iron gladii, being constructed using a form of pattern welding employing layers of iron and steel: in effect, a composite material.
From German spathae probably stemmed most later kinds of straight, middle sized slashing blades.
A common name for such weapons is broad sword - although the term is more accurately referred to a mid 16th century slavic sword, the Schiavona.
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