- Hey, gang.
Dave Baker here, and these are some
of my favorite short swords featured on "Forged in Fire."
[music playing]
In close quarters, in tight spaces,
often a long weapon is more of a liability than a help.
That's why throughout history, different cultures
have developed short swords to fight in those tight spaces.
This oddly bent weapon is the sica.
Now, the sica was originally a Thracian weapon
which was based on the agricultural tool the sickle.
The Roman gladiatorial version put the steep bend in it
so it could be used to dig in and grab a shield
and allow that shield to be pushed out of the way
before the attack is made.
This double edged, heavy blade was a devastating weapon.
Now, this beautiful, slightly curved weapon is the yatagan.
The yatagan was the primary weapon
of the Turkish Janissaries.
These weapons were in use from the 14th century
to the 19th century.
The slight curve towards the front
makes it a fantastic shopping weapon,
yet the point is developed enough for the thrust.
Many of these weapons had ivory handles inlay mother of pearl.
Some of the most decorated weapons from the period.
It's a light, fast, extremely mobile weapon.
In the hands of a Janissary, it would be terrifying.
Now, this deadly blade is the Roman gladius, one of the most
iconic short swords in history.
It's the sword of the Roman legions, the sword
that lasted 600 years.
Until recently, we haven't had many actual pieces
that survived.
What we've been relying on of course
are either sculptures or pottery depicting
soldiers using this weapon.
Now, they're usually depicted with the weapon
in the right hand and a large shield
or scutum in the left hand.
And that follows Roman military doctrine,
which usually said that you had to thrust
with the blade horizontal.
Now, that allowed it to go up under or through armor
or between the ribs.
The proof of this weapon's effectiveness
is shown in the many years it was used by the Roman legions.
This is the naval cutlass designed
specifically for naval warfare.
Back in the days of the tall ship,
the ships were tight with ropes everywhere, cannons.
There was very little room to swing a weapon.
A long blade would be almost useless,
so a weapon was designed specifically for that fight,
and that weapon was the cutlass.
It had a lot of hand protection.
You could deliver blows with the guard.
The blade was shortened down so it
could be swung in close quarters either with a hack
or used to stab.
This cutlass is based on the design which was adapted
by the United States military and still issued
all the way to World War II.
Close quarters, small weapon, but a big punch
and one of my favorites.
This is the xiphos, the Greek warrior's sword.
It had this leaf blade with a wasp waist
on it, which allowed the weight to be forward
for serious chopping action.
It had an acute tip for thrusting.
[swords clanging]
It had a guard that was usually just big enough
to protect the hand and a counterbalance
to balance all that weight out.
These weapons spanned hundreds of years of time
on the battlefield and probably influenced a lot
of the gladius' development.
Usually, the shield was held in the left hand,
the xiphos in the right.
And often, the shield had a cutout.
That allowed that deadly, piercing point
to be used to its best effect, a weapon that
truly passed the test of time.
So there you have it, folks, some
of my favorite short swords featured on "Forged in Fire."
If you have any questions, put them in the comments below,
and I'll try to get to them in a future video.