Illustrated Glossary of Antique Swords

Antique blades: acinace, daga, ense, gladio, spada, arpe

Each drawn weapon is named: the acinace, a knife of the Scythians and Medes; the daga of the Ligurians; the ense and gladio held to be one and the same; the universally known spada; and the arpe, a falcate sword like that with which Perseus slew the Gorgon.

Etymology of gladio from Quintilian, Pliny and Varro

Ense and gladio are said to be the same thing, per Quintilian's tenth book. Pliny's sixth book of Natural History credits the Lacedaemonians with the gladio, and Varro derives its name from 'clade', because it is made for the slaughter and death of enemies.

Dropping beams on the scalers' ladders

Against scaling-ladders, place beams upon the merlons and let them fall horizontally upon the assailants climbing the walls; a shelter guards the beam.

In alto al centro:

Figura relativa, con:

Sotto e a destra del testo precedente:

Figura relativa, con:

Nella metà superiore a destra, sotto il disegno di un'arma:

Figura relativa.

Nella metà superiore a destra, sotto il disegno di un gladio:

Figura relativa, con:

Sotto il testo precedente:

Figura relativa, con:

Sotto il testo precedente:

Figura relativa, con:

In alto a sinistra. Come ributtare dalle mura le scale degli assalitori, con:

At top center:

Related figure, with:

Below and to the right of the preceding text:

Related figure, with:

In the upper half at right, below the drawing of a weapon:

Related figure.

In the upper half at right, below the drawing of a gladius:

Related figure, with:

Below the preceding text:

Related figure, with:

Below the preceding text:

Related figure, with:

At top left. How to throw down the scaling-ladders of assailants from the walls, with:

Illustrated Glossary of Antique Swords

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Antique blades: acinace, daga, ense, gladio, spada, arpe

Etymology of gladio from Quintilian, Pliny and Varro

Dropping beams on the scalers' ladders