The sword's length indicates they were cavalry weapons used by warriors on horseback, according to Smithsonian Magazine. They were shorter than the Roman gladius used by foot soldiers and had ...

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 ...

JULIA: I just found this fragment of rusty metal. It doesn’t look like much but this was once a sword. A sword known as…the gladius! The gladius was part of the Roman soldier’s equipment ...

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.