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I don`t know, maybe the Romans were too lazy :)

But to answer your question, the Romans already thought that their spears were long enough to jab their opponents. So they thought their swords should be short for close range, the opponent about 2-4 feet away from them.

Another theory is that they used to knock their opponents with their shield so that the opponent becomes dizzy or unaware of what`s going on, so that the Romans have the opportunity to jab them freely. This only happens when the opponent gets too close to him.

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The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

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The Spanish sword or "gladius" helped Rome's army because of the close combat type of fighting that the Romans used. It was more effective to use a thrusting weapon in man to man combat than to use the longer swords which took more room to wield and because of this could leave unwanted gaps in the lines if a man fell.

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Continue Learning about History of Western Civilization

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What type of swords did the roman use?

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