Roman Centurion / Gladius/Dukti Sword History Lesson

[J W Kilpatrick]

I own over 100 Himalayan blades and beyond any shadow of a doubt the DUKTI SWORD by Bura is my favorite blade (3 of these are in my collection). In my opinion the DUKTI is interchangeable with the Roman short sword called the GLADIUS. Their dimensions are almost identical at a 27" overall length with a 20" double edged blade and a 7" handle. The short sword allows one to do the three basic movements of blade combat which are thrusting, slashing, and chopping in a rather fast and efficient manner. One of my 3 DUKTI short swords is more agile that the other two swords. As I swing this particular one, with a sure grip on the magnificiently carved wood handle, I can hear it cut a path through the air qucikly and effortlessly. Thankyou, Bura for this one.
The DUKTI SWORD reminds me of the history of the GLADIUS as used and proven by the Romans on the field of battle for over a thousand years.
My older brother and I were U S Infantry officers and U S army rangers trained at FT. Benning, Georgia. My older brother's degree was in mathmatics and my degree was in Management with a minor in world history--my favorite history being military history and my favorite military history being Roman Legion history.
Hence, enter upon the stage of history the Roman Centurion and his band of 100 men, each with their GLADIUS, going into hand to hand combat chopping, thrusting, slashing. There he was the Roman Centurion at the front of his men, leading his men into combat shouting "Follow Me." That is why the Roman Centurion was the backbone of the Roman Army. He got in front of his men and led them into combat and provided the leadership needed to overcome the enemy.
The Roman Centurion and his men were fully dressed for hand to hand combat style battle. The Centurion had a metal helmet that protected his head and the back of his neck and a large fan of red feathers or horse hair on the very top of his helmet, so his men would not lose sight of him during combat and be able to follow him in whichever direction he went. In his dominate hand, he carried the GLADIUS and also carried a dagger in his belt in the cross draw fashion and the dagger was was made in the same shape of the GLADIUS. The Centurion wore a leather and metal breastplate that covered his chest and back and sides, a leather and metal girdle that protected his thighs and groin area and went down almost to his knees, a pair of metal greaves that were strapped to his shins and went from his knees to his ankles, leather sandles with metal cleats that gave him good footing to keep him from slipping and sliding in all the blood and gore as he fought, a leather shield with a protruding pointed metal spike that he could shove into his opponent and knock him off his feet and then do in his opponent with his GLADIUS. The Roman Centurion was a leader among men and a warrior par excellence. He went into battle to win, never to lose and that is the spirit that the Centurions instilled into the Roman Army. Yep, pardner, them Roman Centurions with their GLADIUS were some real tough hombres, as we would say down here in Texas.
So, there ye be. That is why my DUKTI is my favorite Himalayan Imports blade. Once again, Thankyou Bura for my DUKTI/GLADIUS. Yes sir Pardner, I value my DUKTI/GLADIUS above all my other blades.
Can you imagine what those Roman Centurions would have been able to do with a GLADIUS strapped on one leg and a 12 guage shotgun strapped on the other leg. They would have been awsome warriors to have to deal with.

J. W. Kilpatrick

 

[Svashtar]

Well, ironically the Dukti is the only model of HI blade that I don't own. The 27.5" Manjushri seems to give the same basic design and looks better IMO. I'm not saying I'd turn one down, but I have studied the pics and I think the overall workmanship on most of the Manjushri's has been excellent, so other than the guard and the shape of the handle don't see much difference.

The Dukti does look very much like the Roman short sword, and leave it to HI to come up with a great copy.

Regards,

Norm

 

[Ad Astra]

Great stuff, JW. One of my favorite subjects. Anybody read Livy?

"The Celts fought with spears and knives, but, above all, they wielded the falcata, which could cut the arms at the shoulder and sever heads with one chop..."

- Livy

Our own khukuri's grandfather.


Who makes the best Roman Gladius, you think? Albion, I think. Any others?

Not EVEN the Win. St______s.

I'm looking for a classic Mainz or (better) the Fulham.

Don't like the Pompeiian style, though they were heavily used by gladiators.
_____

Sometimes I feel like America is the new Rome, greatness; under attack by barbarians and undercut by... ourselves.

Ad Astra

 

[ruel]

I'm as much a fan of Imperial Rome as anybody, but there's no need to go outside of South Asia to validate an interest in Indian short swords. There's a very long and storied military tradition in India, no less dramatic than that of Roman Europe and Asia.

 

[munk]

The History Channel recently told the story of fabled Afgan gold in that region of the world. The Greeks were there- in Nepal and other places. I wonder if that is there is such similarity between Bura's sword and the Roman?

I'm way out of my league with this question, so if it's just a mouse **** try to be gentle as you brush it out the door.



munk

 

[Edward Teach]

Anybody here play Rome: Total War?

 

[Dave Rishar]

The Dukti's one of my favorites as well - very lively in the hand, even compared to the Manjushree. The engraving on both the blade and the handle is simply amazing.

 

[Nasty]

I like my Falcatta...seem to recall a couple other Cantinistas did too.

 

[christcl]

I read somewhere that if a Roman general lost officers, it was of no paramount concern, but if he lost centurions then he would tear his hair out.

There's a great painting of a Roman centurion by Angus McBride leading the assault against barbarians complete with scutum, gladius, pugio, plus the full set of centurion medals, scale mail shirt, and what appears to be a gold corona civica (meaning he saved the life of a Roman soldier or ally, slew his opponent, and held the ground) on the cover of Osprey's Roman Legionary

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=S6003~ser=WAR~per=40

 

[Howard Wallace]

Thanks for the historical insight, JW.

 

[kronckew]

Hi Y'all. just to correct a few inaccuracies

a 'century' consisted of 80 men, not 100

The leather covered plywood shield did not have a spike on it, it had a rounded boss, still used to punch with tho. the description of the armour was a bit inaccurate, see pics below. sword (gladius) and dagger (pugio) were only mildly the same shape, the common easier to make pompeii version (see last pic below) has parallel edges and a V point. i prefer the mainz myself (1st pic). the leather belt (with the rows of leather straps dangling from it was covered in decorative bronze plates & was not really part of the armour as the individual straps were not tied together into a solid plate, but were just a fringe. the shield was the primary protection for the lower body.

sword, mainz style

dagger on belt

Centurio leading a charge

route march

the 'wedge' - auxilliaries with oval shields on wings, centurio with oval shield in centre

Parade Rest

The roman buzz-saw advances

My relatives thinking 'what the fork is that comin' at us?'

now, where did they go? nobody wants to play wif us.

More images:

Ermine Street Guard

 

[Svashtar]

The Dukti's one of my favorites as well - very lively in the hand, even compared to the Manjushree. The engraving on both the blade and the handle is simply amazing.

Maybe I'll try and get one if another ever comes along. It makes sense that with the slimmer carved handle it would feel more lively. The manujushri does have a rather fat handle that can affect how quickly you can move it.

Thanks,

Norm

 

[Bill Marsh]

Hi Y'all. just to correct a few inaccuracies

a 'century' consisted of 80 men, not 100 [/url]

Hmmm, always assumed it was a hundred. Did 'century' mean something different to them?

GREAT Pictures! Thanks for going through the trouble to post them

 

[kronckew]

Hmmm, always assumed it was a hundred. Did 'century' mean something different to them?

GREAT Pictures! Thanks for going through the trouble to post them

blame it all on budget cuts. got even worse just before the 'fall' of rome when a border 'legion' could be 600 men..... the late republican and imperial legions we think of as at the high point of roman military glory was based on the 80 man century*, the legionaires were called 'marius's mules' because in the reorganization of the early roman legions by julius caesars uncle marius in the 2nd century b.c., they no longer had all their kit carried for them in the baggage train, which had made them a bit slow to deply in emergencies, & vulnerable on the march (hannibal really ate their lunch for such reasons), but carried all their essentials themselves, their shoes, personal items, arms, armour, bedding, rations, water, tent parts, fortification stakes, and tools weighed roughly what a modern soldiers load would weigh.

*-centuria = "company of one-hundred men" / century A primary unit of manpower in a legion; there were six centuries in each legionary cohort, and ten cohorts per legion, therefore, sixty centuries per legion. In antiquity the count of men in each century was exactly one-hundred, which was in republican times reduced to eighty men and subdivided into ten contubernii of eight men each. The centuriae in the first cohort* of an imperial Roman legion were of double strength, each numbering one-hundred and sixty legionaries (*-led by the primus pilus).

more babblings:

Legionary Officers

Senior Officers

• Legatus Legionis: The overall Legionary commander. This post was generally appointed by the emperor to a man who was a former Tribune and held command for 3 or 4 years, although could serve for a much longer period. In a province with only one legion, the Legatus was also the provincial governor and in provinces with multiple legions, each legion has a Legatus and the provincial governor has overall command of them all.

• Tribunus Laticlavius: Named for the broad striped toga worn by men of senatorial rank, this tribune was appointed by the Emperor or the Senate. Though generally quite young and less experienced than the Tribuni Angusticlavii, he served as second in command of the legion, behind the Legate.

• Praefectus Castrorum: The camp Prefect. Generally he was a long serving veteran who had been promoted through the ranks of the centurions and was 3rd in overall command.

• Tribuni Angusticlavii: Each legion had 5 military tribunes of equestrian (knight) class citizens. They were in many cases career officers and served many of the important administrative tasks of the Legion, but still served in a full tactical command function during engagements.

• Primus Pilus: The "First File" or "First Spear" was the commanding centurion of the first cohort and the senior centurion of the entire Legion. When the Primus Pilus retired he was guaranteed entry into the Equestrian Class. He was paid 60 times the base wage.

Mid-Level Officers

• Centurions: Each Legion had 59 or 60 centurions, one to command each century of the 10 cohorts. They were the backbone of the professional army and were the career soldiers who ran the day to day life of the soldiers as well as issuing commands in the field. They were generally moved up from the ranks, but in some cases could be direct appointments from the Emperor or other higher ranking officials. The cohorts were ranked from the First to the Tenth and the Century within each cohort ranked from 1 to 6, with only 5 Century in the First Cohort (For a total of 59 Centurions and the Primus Pilus). The Century that each Centurion commanded was a direct reflection of his rank. (Command of the First Century of the First Cohort was the highest and the 6th Century of the 10th Cohort was the lowest). The 5 Centurions of the First Cohort were called the Primi Ordines (paid 30 times the base wage), and included the Primus Pilus. The Pilus Prior was the commander of the first Century of each Cohort.

Low-Level Officers

• Aquilifer: A single position within the Legion. The Aquilifer was the Legion's Standard or Eagle bearer and was an enormously important and prestigious position. Losing the aquila (eagle) was considered a great dishonor. The next step up would be a post as a Centurion. Paid twice the basic wage.

• Signifer: Each Century had a Signifer (59). He was responsible for the men's pay and savings, and the standard bearer for the Centurial Signum, a spear shaft decorated with medallions and often topped with an open hand to signify the oath of loyalty taken by the soldiers. It was this banner that the men from each individual Century would rally around. A soldier could also gain the position of Discentes signiferorum, or standard bearer in training. Paid twice the basic wage.

• Optio: One for each Centurion (59), they were appointed by the Centurion from within the ranks to act as his second in command. Paid twice the basic wage.

• Tesserarius: (Guard Commander) Again there were 59 of these, or one for each Century. They acted seconds to the Optios. Paid one and a half times the basic wage.

• Cornicen: (Horn blower) They worked hand in hand with the Signifer drawing the attention of the men to the Centurial Signum and issuing the audible commands of the officers.

• Imaginifer: Carried the Standard bearing the image of the Emperor as a constant reminder of the troop's loyalty to him.

Symbols

From 104 BC onwards, each legion used an aquila (eagle) as its standard. The standard was carried by an officer known as aquilifer, and its loss was considered to be a very serious embarrassment.

With the birth of the Roman Empire, the legions created a bond with their leader, the emperor himself. Each legion had another officer, called immaginifer, whose role was to carri a pike with the imago (image, sculpture) of the emperor as pontifex maximus.

Each legion, furthermore, had a vexillifer who carried a vexillum or signum, with the legion name and emblem depicted on it, and unique to the legion, since different from those carried by the other legions. It was common, for a legion, to detach some sub-units from the main camp, to strengthen other corps; in these cases, the detached subunits carried only the vexillum, and not the aquila, and were called, therefore, vexillationes.

 

[Dave Rishar]

Maybe I'll try and get one if another ever comes along. It makes sense that with the slimmer carved handle it would feel more lively. The manujushri does have a rather fat handle that can affect how quickly you can move it.

The blade itself also appears slimmer on the Dukti and the tang extends all the way through the handle - I believe these shift the point of balance back enough to make a difference in performance. The Manjushree certainly feels a bit heavier at the point.

Good stuff, Kronckew. I notice that these legionaries are wearing red tunica; I've read that there's a bit of disagreement amongst historians as to whether the tunica was dyed red, bleached, or just left plain...or all of the above, depending on the location and time period. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Ad Astra]

Great stuff, Kronckew and appreciated. Need a Roman brush-up now and again.



Smiley rep for your work & pix.


Ad Astra, Centurio Primus Khukurii

 

[arty]

Nice swords - who made them and where did you get them?
They look authentic.

 

[munk]

Hooray for Kronckew and other forumites who bring their knowledge here.



munk

 

[kronckew]

Nice swords - who made them and where did you get them?
They look authentic.

they're available thru http://jelldragon.com/ i think he's got ties to a local custom sword maker. his stock varies, he seems to be veering more to viking stuff, but still has some roman gear as well.

i got my dane axe (see avatar) thru him, the maker was the custom sword guy who also does pattern welded stuff on special order (the axe has a hardened edge - file won't cut it - welded to a more tempered main section, you can just make out the hamon line a bit back from the edge, which is 8in. long for scale ref., SOB to sharpen by hand),

anyway i think he's (the custom guy, not jelling) got a full order book for quite a while. ah, just found him again, linky: Paul Binn he doe
s a nice set of pattern welded seax's as well.

check out the ermine street guard site link above, they've got more info on their swords (they make a lot of their own arms and armour)

 

[arty]

Thanks, will check out the site.
I have read that the Gladius has killed more men in war than any other sword.