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 ...

While gladiators may have used unique weapons, they also used implements of war that were more familiar throughout the Roman world. The foremost of these was the gladius, a type of short sword ...