Iron of the Empire The History and Development of the Roman
Gladius An article by Patrick Kelly Yes, Romulus did reign as
one of Rome's rulers. Other than this there isn't more than a
shred of truth in the aforementioned tale. I must admit though
that a story of teat-sucking wolf boys does have an air of
sauciness to it. How then does one explain the rise of a small
village on the western coast of Italy from relative obscurity to
world domination? We will attempt to answer this question while
exploring the history of one of that empire's foremost symbols:
the Gladius. First, a bit of historical background is in order.
The Roman saga begins, traditionally, in the year 753 BC. Rome
began as a member of a group of hilltop villages that grew on
the left bank of the Tiber River near the west-central coast of
Italy in an area known then as Etruria. A seafaring people known
as the Etruscans held the main power in the area. As with most
of the other peoples in the region, the Romans warred against
the Etruscans. At t