Menace of the ROMANS! Dacian FALX (with notes on the Sica & Rhomphaia) from Iamandi Knife 

Beautiful! Proud to see a weapon from my country.

I was watching this entire video waiting for "context" and Matt didn't say it until there was less than 2 minutes left. 🤣 But he still managed to get it in there.

Our Dacian blood still boils in our veins. Love from România!

The word falx just means "sickle" in latin, so it may be more of a generic umbrella term for forward curved blades

FINALLY!!!! This class of weapons is sheer terror. Trajan had to shift his ENTIRE military strategy to deal with the Dacians.

"It's not light or nimble or anything" As you turn the thing in your hand like it's light as a feather. Bloody show-off! Love the video and the look at the historical records, do wish there was more available writing on these things from the time they were used. I feel like the two handed grip means that, if you lose your shield, you can put considerably more power into your strikes with this predominantly one-handed weapon.

I can definitely see being tripped up against those swords, since it curves around your defences. Kind of like when you stop the haft of an axe, but still get bonked by the head over the edge of your shield.

I'm really late to the party, but I always heard the three names to basically describe sica was the equivalent of a one handed arming sword or a long dagger, the falx was the hand and a half or interchangeable grip version, and the rhomphia was always the great sword version or even the pole arm version. I also heard of the falcata, which was a Spanish or Gaulish version that was similar to a modern kukri, but sometimes gets mixed up with the falx. I love that throughout history, the scythe has been turned into a very effective weapon of war.

I am a simple man, I see a video from scholagladiatoria and I click on it and like it.

I am looking forward to watch some cutting tests especially against "armor". Great topic, Matt.

I love how Mr. Easton can speak, while remaining seated and never even gripping properly, let alone swinging a weapon; and aided by no technical flair beyond some fade in/out edited shots of pertinent historical artwork, other pieces of related kit, or additional examples of the weapon in question, leave me feeling that I have a pretty solid grasp on the particular subject matter of the video. Especially considering that before watching this video, for example, all I knew of the falx was a sword associated with...one of the "barbarian" tribes whom the Romans had fought with enough frequency and apprehension that they bothered to record the details of a weapon used against them. But I didn't know which tribe(s) actually used it, and would have guessed it was associated with one or more of the tribes in Gaul whom Caesar campaigned against over 100 years before Trajan's Dacian Dance of Death and Destruction (sounds like the name of an album from a Swedish death metal band). Obviously, one video didn't turn me into an expert, but I now have a solid grasp on the physical characteristics of a falx, and the falx's notoriety for forcing changes to Roman equipment. Most interesting of to me, this video taught me about the uncertainty regarding exactly how the falx was used in combat, and its variable physical characteristics, which both contribute to the lack of definitve answers, but also offer a logical explanation of how the falx was most likely used. That's a hell of a lot of about a weapon to be conveyed in a single video, especially a single video where we never actually see the weapon used. But again, that's what I love about listening to Mr. Easton: he knows the fine minutiae about his subjects, and he communicates so clearly that I can easily imagine the sensation of feeling the heft of the weapon in my hand.

Hey Matt. To further a point you've made - literally of hundreds of Rhomphias found in Bulgaria were found in Noble or at least rich Thracian burials - so it does make sense that the longer ones were indeed used more by the nobility. Furthermore a lot of Bulgarian historians and archaeologists, refer to the Rhomphia as what would translate as a pole arm as opposed to a sword. I believe the longest one ever found had a hilt of like 100cm and a blade of 110cm.

Regarding the Tropaeum Traiani. The artist that designed it was situated in the Levant and had never seen or heard of the Dacians/Tracians. He sent his drawings to the soldiers that build the Monument and they clumsily tried to reproduce it into stone. I had practical work at the archaeological site at Tropaeum Traiani for both the monument and the city. On some of the carvings you can see enemies being tied to tropical trees that are not native to the region. Regarding the weapon - it's an agricultural tool used in cutting tree branches. Our farmers still have some varieties of this tool from the very large to the very small, used in vine work. Also, said "weapon" was likely a common tool around the world.

9 Romans without manica disliked this video.

I am reminded strongly of a farm implement I saw in a museum in south arkansas. It is a full size sythe blade, with a two handed grip like that. It's probably from some time in the 1800's, perhaps used for harvesting Sorghum is what they think, the blade is about 5 feet long and maybe 5 inches wide down at the base, with about a 2 foot handle.

Really great to see a steady flow of videos from you on classics Matt, hope you keep it up!

for sure that Falx looks terrifying. also that Gladius looks virtually unbreakable. great research!

As a romanian, i`m proud to see this weapon featured on your channel!

I got a falx from Iamandi last year and it is a THING OF BEAUTY.

Excellent, excellent video. Thank you Matt.

Another great channel dealing with my favorite subject. Ancient weapons and armor. I enjoy these types of channel

I love it! Would love to get one, one day. I'm looking forward to the rest of the video!

Good and informative, the details are revealing. I didn't know the Dacians were a headache to the Romans. Keep 'em coming.

So glad to see this! I was considering buying a falx from Mr Iamandi 3 years ago, and now I see your video as I’m about to commit to buying it :p

I'm loving all the Roman era content!

My father restored several rhomphaia, found in archaeological expeditions, quite an interesting weapon. Maybe do a video about it? The Romans would instantly kill anybody armed with a rhomphaia - such was the fear of that weapon.

Hit it out of the park once again! Very informative and interesting video.

Rhomphaia seems to just mean "two-handed weapon." Anna Komnene uses it to describe the Dane Axes, Khoniates uses it to describe an early hand-and-a-half sword, Sphrantzes uses it generically in 1453 to mean "weapon" but probably "polearm" or "hand-and-a-half sword." There's also fundamentally the issue that Roman authors like writing with terms only known to the Athenian Greeks (called the "Attic" tradition) so it may have been a word purely used only in poetry. And then that's compounded by the fact the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ms. Gr. 749 Folio 19r and Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ms. Gr. 1613 Folio 27 and and Folio 49 shows a "Falx" or "Sica" being used in the 9th and 11th centuries, respectively. At the same time the first hand-and-a-half swords start to appear (Biblioteca Apsotolica Vaticana Ms. gr. 333 folio 40) as well as during a period of widespread use of the Dane Axe. So yeah it's a complicated term.

Great video. Love history and channel is getting better and better. Thank you.

"Let's get our falx right!" Bad puns aside, I'm surprised to see you covering a weapon from my homeland. I'm gonna have to thank mister Iamandi for his work (which is not to be ignored; he's build several of these swords and I bet they aren't easy to make) in popularising and raising awareness of this type of weapon. Such curved weapons are common in other cultures, but in Europe, well, not that much. I'd be nice to see you discuss why this may be the case. As a side note, the Rhomphaia was also associated with Scythian cavalry that often fought as mercenaries in Dacia and the Balkans. I'd be nice to see if there was any difference in using this as a cavalry weapon (perhaps a type or early bill or similar to the naginata?). There might also be a connection between the sica and some of the less inwardly curved Greek weapons of antiquity (such as the Kopis). Perhaps if we knew when the exact timeline of these weapons appearing in the archeological record, we might be able to piece together if there was any influence, and how that influence flowed. Finally, given your probably better familiarity with Gallic and Celtic weaponry, it might be interesting to see what the differences in use and functionality might be between the straighter Celtic swords and the Dacian/Thracian. We know the Dacians had contact with Celtic tribes, and apparently adopted some elements of Hallstatt metalworking, but seem to have applied them to a weapon with a different functionality. Why would that be? Unfortunately, Romania is not the best place to do archeology. Quite a shame, with how many unexplored areas and tombs are unexplored.... Keep it up, and thank you for your work!

In Mount and Blade: bannerlord, they decided that the rhomphaia is a pole arm of some variety (best weapon in the game imo) I got to admit, the general "falx" sword is probably my fave sword. Don't know why, just love it.

I think I read once that there were a large number of swords and sword-type (i.e. including the falx) weapons in Dacia compared to Rome's other enemies, where the spear predominated and only elites carried swords. If true the number of cutting weapons the Romans were facing (as opposed to just the specific design of the cutting weapon) could have had an influence on the decision to reinforce their armour.

I occurs to me that the names we have for these various weapons are probably the Roman names, the Dacians and Thracians could well have had their own names that were not recorded. History is, after all, written by the victors, especially when the victors are more likely to be literate.

Thank you for another informative and entertaining video. Keep on!

Nice discussion on a truly interesting subject!

I've seen a video on youtube where a historian (reacting to the film gladiator) said that you can't cut at all with a gladius and they were completely blunt. I feel like things like this are why every time matt shows a gladius he mentions that you can cut with it lol

Always interested in the rhomphia. Thanks Matt!

In close quarters such a weapon seems well suited for draw cuts against the back of the legs thus slicing either muscle or tendon and subsequently disabling an opponent.

Very intersting video. Really hope you do more about it :)

Pay attention to that "rib" halfway down... that's the cool "S" thing people used to draw in high school

Great weapon. Can we see a Falcata or one of those long La Tène Celtic swords at some point?

A video on the benefits of the curve on the inside verse straight and outside curve of a sword. Would be interesting.

ooooo love this weapon. Really hope to be able to get my hands on one someday

When is the cutting coming??? Love your videos by the way. My favorite channel regarding antique weapons for sure.

I think a huge electro magnet on a crane would be the ultimate mid evil weapon. All of those Knights stuck to a magnet by their armor would have been hilarious.

that video is so biased, he never talks about three handed swords :(

Beautiful Sword!!!

Nice cutting tests that you got to.

A number of religions at that time had ideals about fate, that you were fated to die in a particular battle. So foregoing armour was referenced as being a way to show how you accept your fate and don't fear death. One group of Celts were also said to have gone naked against the Romans because it let them go through thorns and rough terrain more quickly, as their clothes wouldn't catch. Probably it did happen, but it seems to be an extreme outlier in history. You similarly see some Africans who in the modern day went into battle naked, because they thought this would protect them from bullets.

In the Bible, when St. Simeon warns the blessed Virgin Mary that “a sword will pierce your heart”, the word used in the Koine Greek for the sword is actually “rhomphaeia”.. the huge double-handed sword you mentioned.

Enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up

While I would agree with the notion that segmentata (I always feel weird using that word) would have been the primary armour used, I can see several reasons why hamata might have been on the rise during the campaign. If the falxes did connect often enough, they would damage the bands of the segmentata, and likely in much the same places. Now any army would carry spares and have smiths craft new ones, but apparently the falxes did cause some trouble, so perhaps the damages overloaded the logistics? Basically the armies ran out of repair spares. Mail is comparably simple and easy to repair. Just some rings and boom you have stitched any gash up, you might not even need a specialist to do it. Secondly, as noted it is easy to repair, and by the same function it is just as easy to extend. 'Oh noes, we need arm protection right now!' Have the armourers extend the sleeves and you have a good intermediary protection very quickly. Until such a time as manicas can be brought up from back home. Same goes if you need to extend the protection downwards of course. It takes time, but probably less than it would take to send people back home, gather up enough manicas and bands for replacements and/or field manicas, and then get escorts and then get back to the army. Squamata? Yeah I have no good reasons why it might gain popularity. While the normal falx attack vectors avoids the weaknesses of the scales, they also don't offer any specific advantage against something like a falx over segmentata that I can see. The only possibility I can see is that the armies suffered so many damaged bands that legionaries would have to get entirely new armours right away and only scales were around, which seems odd to me. Why would they have enough scale sets for it to be noticeable? Seems like a waste in general, like a modern field army stocking up on old rifles 'just in case', when they could have carried that much more actually useful gear.

My first thought on usage is not chopping but following cure over the top of the shield while stomp kicking the bottom of the shield to tilt the top creating a opening for thrust.

Great news! Dacia Falx. It has ABS as standard

My Favourite Roman war and my Favourite Emperor and my Favourite period in Roman military history. I even have a silver coin that was minted with the Dacian kings silver after the campaign. 😍

The first thing I thought was, how short it is for a two-handed weapon. Glad that was adressed.

Gives a whole new meaning to "go for a rhomp" I'll see myself out.

As a massive fan of forward-swept blades, I really wish that I could afford one of those big falx to diversify my evergrowing stack of kukri. E: the single, budget-grade khopis... kinda forgot that. Then the 7 individual kukri (kukris?) of various sizes/makes. Y’all have a good one.

You mentioned guards giving up armor or shields to carry a massive polearm. The idea being, the best defense is a good offense? I'm very curious about this and I'd love to hear more about this! Thanks!

They seem to be a strong weapon for still hitting the person behind the shield, provided it pivots on the shields top edge

I think I NEED one of these swords!!

I have no idea if this is true, but I've read that the falx could be used to hook the lorica segmentata, which is why it was used less commonly.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your review, I'm in the market for a good Dacian Falx replica and they seem kinda difficult to locate...

I'm not very familiar with historic weapons... but that blade strikes me as extremely similar to the scythes that are traditionally still used in the field. I always liked cutting grass and sharpening the scythes when I was young. The size, length and proportions are dead on. I would assume these swords would have been very common and reused by peasants. Our grandparents might have 2000 year old blades in the attics and barns.

This dude is not messing around

i like the look of the one 3rd from the right

Giant, powerful warrior - I handed, fast scything motion, perhaps even double, if nimble enough. Short, stocky guy, typical of the age, sometimes 2 handed, with a much smaller shield. Used with a Scooter would be a great experiment, allowing you to simulate Cavalry

guys we have some comments at reguards, we work with those weapon since 5 years ago, our opinion is that the reproduction that iamandi make is without a curve properly done, in our opinion the "falx2 was even more curved like it was some relicve found only to OVERCOME the roman shields, the maine attack of the falx is concentrate on the tip point and the maine force is there to penetrate( the helmet, overcome shield in the lateral side or under)the blade is secondary, you see we considere that the falx is a weapon that combine the 3 weapon knew at that period such is: spear axe and sickle, so the work with it was like those 3 ussualy weapon , like you see those here in the foto that is presented, almost a great part of them are "sica" knives, the handle as is represented on the Traian collumn at ROMA is 3 palms in terms like the 1 here and 5 palms for the 2 handed falx , and shorter for 1 handed battle falx, those are represented too on the collumn, as the monument from "Adamclisi" is more then 5 year since we study and make our fights with those "toys" as we can call them, and after the romans meet the dacian people they change the armour( manica segmentata, and renforce helmet) the other barbarians sisn't make them to change nothing, they finally meet some warriors who make them problems(see the peace maked after several lost at booth army) we should look at the history at it was with betrades and alliance.... with good and wrong, and try to see how the real weapon were, here is only an opinion based on 1 much more curved "falx" not only like this 1, and with much longer handle means same as the blade is!!!!! after you get 1 of those in your hands and you considere the 3 weapons present at those days in the dacia you will know what you can do with it, have a pleasant day all of you

I think that it was fairly common to fight with no armor fore it made one more likely to strike quickly, go for vitals and to strike with force. It also aligned with their beliefs in polytheism/nature.

I wonder, was the yelman of the sabers (the sharpened inside of the point of the sabers) of the 17th century used similarly too the Dalcian falx for it's large cutting power? On top of the extra options it gives you in a swordfight.

cheers - most id seen were with longer handles and blades like a small pole arm or nagamaki

Gotta get me one of those.

While there might be some variation in size, curvature, and grip, I think statistically the most common answer is ~6 inches, slightly right, and...

As a thought on the Armour reaction. Could it be that the Hamata and Squamata had a bigger body coverage? All the pictures that I have seen have both of those armour types going to at least mid groin, as opposed to the Segmentata which stopped at around the waist.

The sica was more a dagger than a sword. In fact, it was the weapon of choice of the sicarius (assassin in Latin).

NICE

The Romans were very impressed, and being the Romans they adopted it in the form of the 'siege hook' which to me sounds much more badass than 'falx'. My guess is that it'd be given to storming parties as a form of 'forlorn hope' weapon. Or to defenders holding a narrow breach or on walls against ladders. I think it'd be terrifying being forced to face a heavily armoured centurion(or veteran legionary but centurions are generally tough veterans and quite fanatical and there are accounts of centurions basically holding a breach/stretch of wall/ the ground in front of the wall largely by themselves) with a falx holding a breach.

Is there an influence on the blade shape by the African Shotel/Sickle swords of the levant? And was maybe part of the idea with the hook was to pull the shield away for another guy with a spear to come in?

Interesting how that look like the blade of a scythe, a farming tool.

Iamandi do the sicas and falx usually as a reproductions of some findings in Romania with the assistance of a historian specialized on that period. And at Adamclisi allot of historians clamed that the Bastarnae (because maj are Bastarnae) on the mural are war-glaive( a weapon that need less skill in usage and fabrications ). Anecdotally the sica was used also by Sicarii LE. This particular blade is called type Sarmisegetuza and was made after a finding from Ursici ,Bosorod, Hunedoara County Romania. This is the picture of the finding www.enciclopedia-dacica.ro/imagini-site/arme_provenind_de_la_Ursici_%20com_Bosorod_jud_Hunedoara/fig4.jpg

First like im always a few hours late. Love your videos sir.

Waiting on a folding version from cold steel.

And thats why the romans were so good, they will very quickly adapt and copy if it will help them.

The Tropaeum Traiani/Adamclisi Traiani monument created in what is now modern day Romania is supposed to be a more accurate depiction of the Roman-Dacian wars compared to Trajan Column monument in Rome (which was created more as a propaganda piece that has more inaccuracies). For example, Trajan's Column depicts tiny undersized Roman scutums. If there are contradictions between the Tropaeum Traiani vs Trajan's Column in terms of their depictions of the falx or other equipment, I'd go with the Tropaeum Traiani. Furthermore, the Tropaeum Traiani does depict some Dacians wearing armor. This image for example portrays Dacians wearing a banded-type armor almost similar to the segmentata: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Metope_from_the_Tropaeum_Traiani%2C_Roman_soldier_in_helmet_and_scale_armor_fighting_two_bearded_Dacians%2C_Moesia_Inferior%2C_Romania_%2841104941754%29.jpg

You need to do a test on Roman helmets with and without the "adaptation".

Matt - you make a wrong assumption about the impact point of the falx. If you were to hit with the convex side, the impact would indeed be with the inflection point, about 1/4 way from the tip. But if you hit with the concave side, the best impact point is actually the tip itself. So yes, the falx would actually provide quite a bit more reach than the gladius.

I like the shape.

Hey Matt, I agree that there probably has to be a little more research done on these weapons to execute very high-end reproductions, though Christian Iamandi does make some lovely pieces. The sica that he makes particularly caught my eye. I have a question: how should one take care of horn handles on knives, swords, etc. as well as traditional leather-covered wooden scabbards? I am going to acquire a buffalo horn-handled kukri in the coming months and I have seen a lot of conflicting information about how to take care of the horn. Wax? Mineral oil? Lanolin? Hooflex? Just handle it a lot? Some people have come out particularly hard against mineral oil, saying that it can delaminate and soften bovine horn as well as stag. Others have claimed to use it or another oil for many years with no problem. I have seen a lot of recommendation for soaking entire kukris, their scabbards, frogs, byknives, (with the scabbard empty, of course), etc. in mineral oil. What are your thoughts? How do you deal with your own horn-handled knives and leather/wood scabbards? Thank you!

9:53 when you do get around to cutting, could you test the assumption of where the active section of the blade is .. you suggested towards the flat, but i wonder if the more curved section is the ideal. Compare with the active cutting section of the kukri and kukrax, where the angle seemed to matter.

I don't know how long the campaigns got, but is it conceivable that -like the gladius- the falx doubled as a tool (which could explain some of its 'compromise' features)?

Regarding für Statement that Romans interacted before the story told on the Trajans column: yes. There were incursions oder dacians crossing the danube under a king called Berebista. Then the romans had also other problems and they payed them off. Later under a king Decebal things repeated and this times the romans did it in 1-2 campaigns right ( more or less total annihilation and anexation).

I can imagine a weapon like that being used with a shield on the approach and first contact with a Roman line, with the intent of breaking into the Roman formation, discarding the shield and cutting away two-handed amidst the Roman ranks. The relative short length and heavy blade might be advantages in that scenario. This would fit well with your thought of their use as shock troops.

I appreciate this sword and the effort behind its craftsmanship, but I must point out that it lacks the vital feature needed to end the enemy rightly.

The one handed reach increases if you grip it close to the pommel, though. You do it for some kenjutsu strikes. Why not for this?

I would imagine to extend the handle and make it a semi or full length pole weapon.

Either way the Falx was nicknamed the "Gut Shredder! "

Please do a video about the jian sword. Its floppy Edit : great vid thumbs up

So weird, I just watched a Forged in Fire episode with this weapon which I had never heard of and bam, Scholagladiatoria does a vid on same weapon.

So, Dacians with a preference for a particular style of falx hilt might be the Thru-Tang Clan..?

The lorica hamata also got reinforced on the shoulders with a 2nd layer in response to falx according to some books I read.