The Gallic Sword

The first Gallic sword was of bronze, with a blade of between 18 and 24 inches. It was a two-edged weapon, and the form of the blade has been described as being like a sage leaf, in that it was narrow at the fort and gradually swelled out with a graceful curve to be at its broadest about one third of its length from the point to which it tapered in a convex curve. There were two types of hilt, one being a continuation of the blade from the fort of the same width, pierced with holes, to which pieces of wood or bone could be riveted on each side. The other type was the covering with wood of three bronze rods which were fixed in a large boss at the bottom of the blade, a rather unsatisfactory arrangement.

Their second type of sword, which is thought to have led to their defeat by the Romans, was of iron, a metal which they never managed to attain any skill in working, with the result that their blades were deficient in temper and were apt to bend on striking the shield or cuirass of their opponents. The shape of the blade and the details of the hilt were similar to their bronze weapon.

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