How to use a Gladius in RL???

**cmacq** · 06-08-2008, 09:40

one quick jab into or at the face and/or neck.

**Poulp'** · 06-08-2008, 09:58

armpits are prize, and so are the inner thighs; it both causes massive blood loss and immobilize your opponent.

**QuintusSertorius** · 06-08-2008, 10:43

Originally Posted by cmacq

one quick jab into or at the face and/or neck.

Except both are small targets, and the face is protected by a lot of bone. Besides which people instinctively flinch when things are thurst at them in that direction. Much harder to move anything at or below your centre of gravity.

**cmacq** · 06-08-2008, 16:09

Right,
that’s why the shield was used to jam the target first, throw it off balance, target stabilized, thrust to face, as the levy to the left and right do likewise. Then use the shield edge against the target to pull out of the face, as the next set of targets step up. Don’t believe me as when it's written about, this is more or less what the ancients say. Apparently they believed the gut or groin thrust could be more easily parried and/or took too long to kill the target. Besides a face thrust makes a statement, it lets the Opfor know the rules of the game have changed and things are about to get ugly.

**mucky305** · 06-09-2008, 19:48

An important part of using the Gladius was the orientation of the blade in relation to the ground. It was thrust forward flat so that blade could slip between the ribs of an enemy. The killing blow was demonstrated rather well in HBO Rome when Pullo kills Cicero, a thrust down into the chest (heart and other vitals) via the soft tissue around the neck and at the top of the rib cage. Very gory.

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 06-10-2008, 00:47

And very showy, it's the killing move of the arena. A stab to the neck or belly is better in a pitched battle, you twist as you withdraw, stops it getting stuck on anything. Hacking arms off was also a favourite tactic. The Gladius is an excellent edge-weapon. Almost better than the thrust, perhaps.

**AlexanderSextus** · 06-10-2008, 01:22

another question...how was the scutum held??? i remember reading that it was not held like an aspis (forearm loop and vertical grip) so what was the grip on the scutum like???

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 06-10-2008, 01:23

Vertical, in the boss, held with the knuckles pointing outwards.

**cmacq** · 06-10-2008, 04:49

Originally Posted by AlexanderSextus

forearm loop

From the examples I've seen there isn't a forearm loop on the scutum? And, the boss handle/grip was horizontal with no room to hold anything else. The javelins must have been either expended before contact or stuck in the ground further back for the rear ranks to toss. Regardless, the sword couldn't have been drawn until the javelins were out of hand. Apparently, they didn’t want the levies to have a javelin in the shield hand after contact or they would have designed the grip differently.