Home » Swords » European Swords » Ancient Swords » Roman 3rd Century Spatha
$110.88 – $112.13
Shipping $8 - $45 in the lower 48 states, excluding PO/APO. Shipping calculated at checkout.
This Late Roman Spatha has a wide and long dual-fullered blade of high carbon steel; the hilt is crafted from wood and the pommel nut is brass. A black felt tab is atop the guard to cushion it from contact with the scabbard – it can be removed if desired.
The wooden scabbard is bound in leather and completed with a brass chape, locket and suspension loop.
| Overall Length | 39'' |
| Blade Length | 30 3/4'' |
| Weight | 2 lb 3.9 oz |
| Edge | Unsharpened |
| Width | 56.6 mm |
| Thickness | 4.7 mm - 4.4 mm |
| Pommel | Nut |
| P.O.B. | 9 7/8'' |
| Grip Length | 4 1/2'' |
| Blade | [EN45 High Carbon Steel] |
| Type | Spatha |
| Class | Battle Ready |
| Culture | Roman |
| Manufacturer | Deepeeka |
| Country of Origin | India |
Swords listed as “Sport Combat” (also known as “Stage Combat”) are specifically designed for combat reenactment, stage and film fights, and other activities where they will be hit edge to edge together.
Using a sword in this capacity is very different than how a sword would have been used historically, and as a result the sword must be made differently. Sport combat swords feature extra strong tangs and thick blades with thick edges. Sport combat swords will generally weigh more than a “Battle Ready” equivalent and are not made to be sharpened.
Swords listed as “Sport Combat” will hold up to a fair amount of usage, but will wear out with time. No sword is indestructible, and “Sport Combat” swords are no exception.
Our sharpening service will provide a good serviceable edge on the blade. The result is typically “very sharp” with a small secondary bevel and a bit of an “apple seed” profile. The resulting edge is somewhat dependent on the particular blade. Some blades will take and hold sharper edges than others and the thickness of the blade will determine how wide the bevel will need to be. We adjust the angle of the edge to suit the specific blade and attempt to get as close to a bevel-less edge as possible without marring the surface of the blade.
The sharpening service is done with a belt sander. The process involves many passes with sanding belts of various grits. The blades are rested between passes to prevent them from becoming hot and damaging their temper. By default we will sharpen as much of the blade as possible including any false edges if appropriate. If you have a different preference, feel free to make that request in the special instructions at check out. We can sharpen only the last half or third of an edge, for example. Our sword sharpening expert has personally sharpened several thousand swords at this point, so will provide you with a professional service.
The resulting edge will be “sword sharp” not razor sharp. Our goal is to provide you with a usable edge for cutting practice that will hold up to some use and not require constant re-sharpening. In other words, we intend to provide you with a serviceable weapon, not a personal grooming implement. The service will not provide a completely bevel-less edge. To create that type of edge will necessarily scratch up the blade surface and we lack the machinery and time to provide a full re-polishing of a blade’s surface. A service of that nature would be significantly more expensive as a great deal more time would be required. We do not offer this type of service at this time.
We make no guarantee that the resulting edge will meet with your expectations. Every blade is different and some will take and hold a sharper edge than others, due to the blade material, heat treatment or geometry. Some customers can also have incorrect assumptions about sword sharpness and improper expectations as a result. All we can say for sure is that the resulting edge will be sharper than the default edge, in most cases, significantly so. We can not provide any refunds for the service once it has been completed, so consider it to be provided “as is”. That being said, if you are unhappy with the product for any reason, we do still allow you to return the item for a full refund, including the sharpening costs under our normal return policy. This does not apply to special sharpening requests, for example if we sharpen something specially for you that does not normally list that option on our site. The vast majority of our customers are happy with the results of the service, so as long as you keep the above mentioned in mind, we are confident you will be pleased with the results as well.
A factory blemished model will have small cosmetic defects but no issues that will affect its function. Examples include, small surface scratches, scabbard dents or cracks, minor blade pitting, etc. Larger issues like blade chips, cracks, warps or anything else that will affect performance will not be included with these. Please note that we do not keep track of every specific minor blemish, so please do not contact us asking for details, we will not have them available. We are offering these items at a further discount for customers who are not overly concerned with cosmetics and intend to put them to some use.
A munitions grade item is not up to our normal high standards. Munitions grade items will typically have various bends or twists in the blades, basically rendering them as 2nds quality. These items are still a great choice for collecting and re-enacting and functional pieces will still be functional. Please keep this in mind when ordering.
Swords marked as “Battle Ready” are made to a higher standard than your average display weapons. The blades are usually made of carbon steel, as opposed to the more brittle stainless steel and feature longer and stronger tangs.
“Battle Ready” does not necessarily mean the blade is sharpened, this depends on the manufacturer. Some sell them sharp like Cold Steel, some dull like Windlass Steel Crafts, and some do both like Hanwei. So if you need to know if it is sharp or not and it is not mentioned in the description, just ask.
In general “Battle Ready” swords are functional weapons that will live up to actual combat usage. They are closest to historic examples in the fact that when properly sharpened they can cut as designed. However, “Battle Ready” does not mean indestructible. Any sword can be broken. Use common sense with your sword, and it will last for generations. A sword being listed as “Battle Ready” does not constitute a guarantee that it will withstand any abuse you can throw at it. “Battle Ready” swords are not designed for blade to blade type combat, you will want to select “Stage Combat” swords for this activity.
On blades, the “Width” is measured in millimeters and is taken where the blade leaves the hilt. A second measurement is provided when a blade widens further down, such as in a leaf shaped blade. The second measurement is taken at the blade’s widest point.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
“Country Of Origin” refers to the coutry where the product was manufactured. This is not to be confused with the “Culture” spec. For example, a culturally “Japanese” Sword could be made in India, a culturally “German” sword could be made in the US or a culturally “Indian” sword could be made in China. The historic “culture” associated with a particular sword and the country a reproduction is currently being made in, are two separate things and should not be confused.
The Pommel entry refers to how the pommel, and usually by extension the whole sword, is held together. Possible values include “Peened” where the blade tang goes through the pommel and is hammered flat at the end, Threaded” where the end of the tang has threads and the pommel is screwed on, or “Nut” where the tang goes through the pommel and is secured by a separate threaded nut at the end.
On a sword, knife or dagger, The “Blade Length” spec is measured from the tip of the blade to where the blade enters the hilt, this will include a ricasso portion if present. For katanas, this measurement includes the habaki.
On a spear it is a measurement of the edged portion and does not include the socket. On an axe, it is a measurement of the axe edge itself, in a straight line from point to point.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
As you’d imagine, “Overall Length” is the full length of the item in question. It is the length of the main item itself, not including any accessories. For example, this measurement for a sword would be for the sword itself, from the tip of the blade to the end of the pommel. This measurement will not include any scabbards, sheaths, boxes etc.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
Take advantage of our deposit option and pay only a deposit (+shipping) at this time. The cart will process this as a normal order and calculate your shipping costs so you know what to expect. When the item is available to ship we will contact you for the balance.
Please note: this deposit is non-refundable. Turn around time is an estimate and can vary depending on the manufacturer’s given work load.
This option is not for in stock items, it is only for special orders with long turnaround times. If you do order something marked as in stock, the stocked model will not be held for you. A new special order with the listed turnaround time will be started for you instead, to allow you the time to pay off the full price.
“Thickness”, not to be confused with a blade’s “Width” is measured in millimeters on the blade where it first leaves the hilt and will refer to the thickest portion. For example the back edge on a katana or the mid section on a diamond shaped blade. Sometimes you will see two entries here, in that case it is usually because the blade is “distal tapered” meaning that it gets thinner towards the tip. The second measurement is taken approx. 1” from the tip.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
P.O.B. stands for Point Of Balance, this is measured in inches from the hilt down the blade. It refers to the point on the blade where the sword achieves a perfect balance. A number of 0” would balance exactly at the guard, while a negative number will have a POB in the hilt itself. In theory a sword with a POB of 0” is perfectly balanced. In practice however, there are many reasons why you may not want this for a particular sword. A POB of 3”- 5” usually results in a well balanced sword, but does depend on the type of sword. In general, a low POB results in good point control well suited to a thrusting blade, while a higher POB adds impact to a cleaving blade. A very high POB will result in a sword that feels heavier than it actually is and is difficult to wield.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
The “Weight” spec refers to the item itself and does not include any packaging or accessories. For example, it would be the weight of a sword not including a scabbard.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of.
The “Edge” spec will tell you about how sharp a blade is. Possible values could be “Rebated” meaning the edge is intentionally thickened for safety, “Blunt” meaning the edge is fairly thick with little to no taper, ‘Unsharpened” which would taper to the edge but stop short of having any real cutting ability, “Slightly Sharp, Moderately Sharp , Sharp, or Very Sharp” Sharp or Very Sharp are considered good for cutting swords. Moderately Sharp is close, but may need to be touched up to get the best performance. A common misconception is that swords should all be “razor sharp”. However for reasons we won’t get into here, this is not the case.
Please note: Due to the hand made nature of these items, all specs should be considered as approximates. This info is provided to give you a good idea of the product being presented, the one you receive may vary from the specific one we took measurements of. The Edge ratings in particular are somewhat subjective and each blade can vary. Consider this as a general guideline only.
The “Class” spec can have four possible values:
The “Culture” spec will denote if the item is associated with a specific group of people, conflict or geographic area. For example, “Viking”, “Crusader”, “Pirate”, “Indian” “WWII”, and so on. Please note that many items will not fall into a specific culture like this and were used by many peoples or across many time periods.
As you would imagine, the “Manufacturer” spec refers to the brand or company the item is made by. Not all products will have a manufacturer listed. Some products do not fall under a specific brand.
Unsharpened edges will be thinner than a “blunt” edge, but will not offer any cutting ability. They will typically taper towards an edge, but then stop short.
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David R. –
Great, Affordable Spatha As a martial arts enthusiast who writes novels and articles about the fall of Western Rome, I became obsessed with getting a spatha. Unfortunately, spatha are rarer than most replica swords, and the designs of most of the ones available (except the really expensive Albion ones) didn’t speak to me. Then this one came along (sometime in the last few months, I believe). I really like the design, which has the classic look found on most gladius, but is different enough to give it a uniqueness. I also liked the double fuller blade design.
Now that I’ve had the sword for a few days, I can say the weapon is very sturdy. It looks and feels really good. Nothing shakes or rattles. The hilt is well-tooled wood and feels good in the hand (though I am still working on the ideal way to grip it). Most of my previous swords have either been two-handed or lighter single-handed ones (i.e. rapier, gladius, Chinese jian) and so I will say I was surprised by how heavy this sword is. I think that would be an advantage for battle in a shield wall, but it is going to take some practice to get control over and I expect my wrist and forearm are going to have to toughen up. The scabbard is really nice – though I hated the color (which is orangish-brown as it appears in the photos). This color is probably right for the Late Antiquity period (when soldiers wore white instead of scarlet and dark leather, and lighter colors prevailed in art and fashion). I figured that I could probably darken the scabbard with shoe polish if needed, but it is starting to grow on me anyway. One more downside of the sword is that it only comes un-sharpened (though it is heavy and pointy enough to bludgeon most enemies of Rome you may happen to encounter). Over-all, I am very happy with this sword, especially for the money.
Bryan B. (verified owner) –
Picked up this piece due to its apparent sturdy blade and general durability for the price. I don’t do much abusive testing but from the cut tests I have performed I was pleased with the results. With the sharpening service, the edge is quite the performer and the blade can handle a lot of heavy impacts. The look of the sword is also nice and appears to be historically accurate. The scabbard is also a fitting companion to the sword in terms of both its appearance as well as its solid construction.
My biggest issues involve the wood grip. The blade is already tip-heavy and a lack of proper counterweight in the pommel means you’ll have to overcome some imbalance. This issue does seem surmountable through strength building exercises with the spatha it’s worth mentioning if you don’t want to constantly workout your wrist and forearm as you adjust to the sword’s weight.
Another issue I’ve run into is the pommel. As mentioned previously it is an improper counterweight to the blade yet is somehow also too bulky and wide. Just bending my wrist up and down with the sword in a chopping motion causes the pommel to dig into my wrist, which is certainly annoying and to someone with less patience could even be a deal-breaker.
In short, this is a good sword for the price and likely the best Spatha you’ll find short of forking over the thousand dollars for an Albion. However, it requires a good deal of getting used to considering the problems with the grip and pommel. I would recommend possibly sanding down the edge of the pommel to make it more comfortable or, since it’s a nut pommel, simply getting the entire hilt replaced with one of higher quality. That said, I really like the blade and could see this being an excellent addition to anyone’s collection. Just wear some gloves during cut tests!