Category Archives: sword

What Rome Learned from Hispania

Posted on October 15, 2010 by 100swallows

Rome picked up all kinds of tricks and useful knowledge from the peoples it conquered. While fighting the native Spaniards, for instance, the Roman officers saw the virtues of the short sword they carried. Both its edges were sharp and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, archaeology, Numancia, Romans, Spain, sword, warfare | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Caesar’s Army: Basic Facts

Posted on September 19, 2010 by 100swallows

Organization A LEGION comprised 6000 soldiers. It was made up of 10 COHORTS, each containing 600 soldiers. The cohort was composed of 3  MANIPLES (200 soldiers each). A maniple contained  2 CENTURIES (one hundred men = a century) and their … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, Caesar, history, Romans, sword, war, warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

El Cid—Spain’s Champion 2

Posted on February 6, 2009 by 100swallows

In 711 an army of Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and overran Spain. They took the whole peninsula except for a strip of kingdoms in the north and northwest. Next they crossed the Pyrenees and went for France.  If … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, books, history, literature, Spain, sword, war | Tagged , , | 4 Comments