Sica and Such

D

Dwight McLemore

Joined
Aug 26, 2000
Messages
938
I'm sort of up to ears in a manual on Gladiatorial Combat. It's in the same notebook format at the Bowie and Tomahawk books. I've been working on this off and on for several years and now that I'm fully retired, the time is there to explore my bliss as Joseph Cambell said. The work with the Scutum has been a real pain and very frustrating trying to nail down the balance point for that thing. One of the most pleasant surprizes has been the work with the Sica. The really unusual version that has half the blade at a about a 45 degree angle. When I first saw this thing, my first reaction was why in the world would they design a weapon like that, .....I found out! It will go around a shield in a minute. It delivers one hell of a thrust... draw cuts as well. Well, to make a long story short, I've been limited to wooden versions of this and really need to find some maker or dealer that will knock me out a real version. Any ideas or recommendations.

My Best
Dwight McLemore
The School of Two Swords
 
Dwight McLemore said:
I'm sort of up to ears in a manual on Gladiatorial Combat. It's in the same notebook format at the Bowie and Tomahawk books. I've been working on this off and on for several years and now that I'm fully retired, the time is there to explore my bliss as Joseph Cambell said. The work with the Scutum has been a real pain and very frustrating trying to nail down the balance point for that thing. One of the most pleasant surprizes has been the work with the Sica. The really unusual version that has half the blade at a about a 45 degree angle. When I first saw this thing, my first reaction was why in the world would they design a weapon like that, .....I found out! It will go around a shield in a minute. It delivers one hell of a thrust... draw cuts as well. Well, to make a long story short, I've been limited to wooden versions of this and really need to find some maker or dealer that will knock me out a real version. Any ideas or recommendations.

My Best
Dwight McLemore
The School of Two Swords
Click to expand...

Honestly I can't think of anyone that specializes in Roman items. The name that comes to mind who seems to be willing to try early period stuff would be Manning Imperial down in Australia. You can look them up on line.
 
Dwight McLemore said:
I'm sort of up to ears in a manual on Gladiatorial Combat. It's in the same notebook format at the Bowie and Tomahawk books. I've been working on this off and on for several years and now that I'm fully retired, the time is there to explore my bliss as Joseph Cambell said. The work with the Scutum has been a real pain and very frustrating trying to nail down the balance point for that thing. One of the most pleasant surprizes has been the work with the Sica. The really unusual version that has half the blade at a about a 45 degree angle. When I first saw this thing, my first reaction was why in the world would they design a weapon like that, .....I found out! It will go around a shield in a minute. It delivers one hell of a thrust... draw cuts as well. Well, to make a long story short, I've been limited to wooden versions of this and really need to find some maker or dealer that will knock me out a real version. Any ideas or recommendations.

My Best
Dwight McLemore
The School of Two Swords
Click to expand...




Hi Dwight,

Around 100AD Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus commonly called Trajan marched to Dacia where he and his legions were introduced to the Sica and Falx. Wiki describes the falx as "It consisted of a three-feet long wooden shaft with a long curved iron blade of nearly-equal length attached to the end. The blade was sharpened only on the inside". Presumably the hook shape permitted reaching around the scutum to filet the arms legs and heads.

In the Book of the sword Burton referred to it as "the Muderous Falx". There were two varieties one-handed (Sica) and two-handed (Falx). The Romans appeared to have suffered a great deal during the first introductioin however they made some modifications in their armor and the next outcome was much better...for them.

Wiki,

Quote:
The time of the conquest of Dacia by Trajan is the only known instance of the Roman army adapting personal equipment while on campaign, it seems likely that this was a response to this deadly weapon. Roman legionaries had reinforcing iron straps applied to their helmets - it is clear that these are late modifications because they are roughly applied across existing embossed decoration. Roman armour of the time left limbs unprotected; Trajan introduced the use of leg and arm protectors (greaves and manica).

This is one of those obscure weapons that few people pick up on. Any custom large knife maker should be able to help you sorry I can't recommend anyone specific.

Just thought I would give a little background on the weapon itself.


Bors.
 
Dwight McLemore said:
I'm sort of up to ears in a manual on Gladiatorial Combat. It's in the same notebook format at the Bowie and Tomahawk books. I've been working on this off and on for several years and now that I'm fully retired, the time is there to explore my bliss as Joseph Cambell said. The work with the Scutum has been a real pain and very frustrating trying to nail down the balance point for that thing. One of the most pleasant surprizes has been the work with the Sica. The really unusual version that has half the blade at a about a 45 degree angle. When I first saw this thing, my first reaction was why in the world would they design a weapon like that, .....I found out! It will go around a shield in a minute. It delivers one hell of a thrust... draw cuts as well. Well, to make a long story short, I've been limited to wooden versions of this and really need to find some maker or dealer that will knock me out a real version. Any ideas or recommendations.

My Best
Dwight McLemore
The School of Two Swords
Click to expand...

Mark Morrow apparently makes both sica and falx blades. You might want to take a look at his web site (swordsmith.net), where he has a couple of pictures. I have no personal experience with his work, but have heard good things over at Swordforum International. I believe that Roman re-enactors also like his work.
 
The falx was a long handled device that was swung with two hands. Think of a scythe blade stuck straight out on the end of a 2-3 foot hilt. And, yes, the Romans hated them. They sent back to Rome for shin guards and arm guards for the troops as a result as well as applying cros-bracing to their helmets. There is a fellow over at SwordForums.com, Steven Peffley, who mae one a few years ago and brings it to Roman and other re-enactment days. it is a VERY NASTY device. Go to:
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/rdays.html and check out Roman Days, 2003 for the pics of Steve demolishing an authentically made Roman shield with his falx.
 
Touched base with Mike Morrow and today I mailed out a check for a gladiatorial Sica from the imperial period. Can't wait to work with this one. This whole Roman thing has been interesting in terms of what weapon is called What and how it varies according to the period.
Thanks to everyone for the great information and links.

Best
Dwight
 
Dwight, not sure if you have heard of szbonic or not but they make a Battle Sickle which is along the same lines as the Sica.


Click on Edged it's About 3/4 of the way down the page. Not sure why the direct link would not work.
http://www.szaboinc.com/index1.html



Bors
 
Thanks Bors: I'm familar with that man's great work. The Sica I am having made by Mike Morrow is from the Imperial period and was used by the Tharex class of gladiator. Here is some of my correspondance with Mike about the design that you might find interesting.

The mosaics and figurines that I've looked at show this is a pretty extreme angle, that is what drew my attention to it. At first I thought it might just be some limitations of the media or an artist 'take' on the weapon but then I saw the candle stick from the Stuttgart Landesmuseum and it appears to be double edged and at the acute angle I indicate. Well, I was not convinced until I made two of these things out of woods. Grumbling the whole time that this would not work. .......I got out in the training hall on BOB (body opponent bag) and used every technique for FMA and Bowie that I have in my head. An this thing performs like a champ. It takes some getting used to not having that straight blade in front of me but It is really easy to get inside and perform a draw cut. It will go around a Scutum in a minute and there is little doubt in my mind that is what they were designed for. The thing is plain scary the way it slips over the top of a shield. It also hooks quite well with the back edge. The Tharex's opponent was the Mirmillo who used the Scutum (shield) similar to that used by the legion so it sort of makes sense. From what I've been told this thing may have originated from the Flax and maybe taking some points from the Falcata. Turn a Falcata over in your hand and execute a thrust and it behaves exactly the same way. Please don't put that graceful, beautiful curve on this one. While I really like that design, remember I'm trying to test and work with this acute angle to sort of verify it. At any rate I have the artwork to back me up.


Best
Dwight
 
I have seen a knife carried by certain of the Chilean military that was apparently used by the miners down there. It looks for all the world like an updated sica.

As a bit of history, the Romans deemed any knife with a curved blade to be a sica and held that it was an "infamous" weapon, carried only by barbarian assassins and thieves. The Roman dagger was the pugio of the legions, a broad-bladed, double edged item with a pronounced central rib that they had apparently picked up from the Iberian Celts.

Those who carried the sica were known by the Romans as sicarii or, in the singular, sicarius. In Palestine, there was a group of Jewish rebels during the period prioor to the Jewish War in 65 CE to 70 CE, who practised the art of walking up to their enemies in a crowd and stabbing them with a long curved dagger and then walking off, leaving the dagger in the victim. The Romans called the members sicarius, but the name in the local Aramaic was iscariot, as in Judas Iscariot.
 
I have seen a knife carried by certain of the Chilean military that was apparently used by the miners down there. It looks for all the world like an updated.
Click to expand...


The Chilean Corvo Bill Bagwell did a Battle Blade review of it in 1987.


Chileancorvoofficer.jpg




Bors
 
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