I'm not sure why ancient Roman warriors fascinate me. Maybe it's just that they were the best military force for over a thousand years! I'm against violence but there must be a bit of violence in the human genetic makeup. The evidence is the almost constant state of war we are in, the excitement of battle, movies, video games... All glorify murder! I took most of the information from various websites but mosly from: http://www.jaysromanhistory.com/romeweb/romarmy/equip.htm Gladius ( Short thrusting Sword) "Roman battle tactics called for close - ordered, disciplined troops fighting as a team as opposed to individual heroics as used by many of their enemies. Trained soldiers, standing shoulder to shoulder for twenty minutes at a time, methodically killing their opponents. When an occasional lucky stroke by a barbarian warrior brought down a Roman soldier, another of his brethren immediately stepped forward to fill his spot. When the twenty minu