The Two Weapons That Changed the Ancient World

The two weapons that changed the ancient world were the Roman sword and the Steppe bow, according to Greek historian and university professor Maria Efthymiou, PhD.

In a series of lectures, the renowned Greek academic discussed the elements that shaped history and the symbols of power that, metaphorically speaking, brought changes with obvious consequences in the modern world.

Weapons have always been symbols of power. In the ancient world, cities and kingdoms were built by the power of the sword. War was the way for people to survive, protect what was theirs, and build civilizations. Those who had the mightier weapons were also the ones who won battles and wars.

Dr. Efthymiou believes that the two weapons that changed ancient history were the Roman sword, the legendary gladius, and the fearsome composite bow, or the bow of the Eurasian Steppe.

The first was the symbol of the mighty Roman Empire that set the basis for today’s Western world. The second symbolizes the Mongolian and Turkoman nomad warriors of the northern East who moved westward, conquering lands from the Middle East to Eastern Europe.

In the beginning, they were ruthless plunderers, but through the centuries, they morphed—the former to the Mongolian Empire that ruled North and Central Asia while the latter became the Ottoman Empire. Both extended all the way to Eastern Europe as barbaric conquerors.

The Roman Sword in the Ancient World

In history books, the depiction of the Roman Legion is an indelible image that generates awe. Yet, as a prominent weapon, the Roman gladius was much more than a tool for battle. It was a symbol of power, a mark of ethnicity, and the embodiment of the ingenuity and martial prowess that propelled Rome to expand into an empire and civilization.

The blade of the gladius was heavy and made of the finest steel. Only a powerful man could wield it and use it to kill the enemy. It was not just a well-crafted steel sword. It was an ingenious cultural icon that horrified the enemy and shaped the civilization that welded it. Furthermore, it was a symbol of Rome’s martial virtue and military technology, perfectly designed in its simplicity and functionality.

Indeed, the gladius blade was a symbol of citizenship within Roman society, fueling the Roman imagination for bigger and greater things. Rome’s philosophy and law were likewise something to be proud of.

As a physical object, the iconic sidearm of Rome was deceptive in its simplicity. It was a straightforward design with a double-edged steel blade, simple guard, and grip capped by a pommel. However, its materials and design made it quite functional, efficient and, above all, fatal.

The blade was tapered to a point, and it fell within the range of sixty to eighty centimeters (24-31 inches). Its pointed tip and double edge made it good both for thrusting and slashing or cutting.

The Romans were known for their metallurgical skills, and the steel used offered a good balance between durability and the ability to hold an edge. The blade was hard enough to cut and pierce, yet flexible enough to withstand combat.

The Bow of the Eurasian Steppe

The bow has been used by man for at least fifty thousand years. It is a simple weapon but can be very effective under certain conditions. The Eurasian peoples of the steppes, mainly Mongolians and Turkomans, created a lethal bow with great capabilities.

The composite bow, produced by the people of the Eurasian Steppe, had a much higher velocity than that of simple bows, and it could strike through armor at a hundred yards. It combines various materials, such as wood, sinew, and horn, and utilizes them fully, creating a mechanical tour de force.

The sinew on the back handles tensile stress, while the horn on the belly has three and a half times more compressive strength than wood. The wooden core is made of maple, poplar, or ash. It is flexible, bends easily, and has a straight grain to avoid twisting of the limbs.

The core is thin, acting more like a spacer and surface to which the horn and sinew is attached. Its thinness reduces the overall weight of the bow. Composites are made of multiple pieces, each joined with animal glue in V-splices to allow for the sharp bends that many recurve bows require. Water buffalo horn is the most common, but oryx or ibex cattle horns are also utilized.

The sinew used is the Achilles tendon or back tendons of wild deer. The length can be as short as three feet or as long as five feet long.

The Mongolians and Turkomans of the Eurasia Steppe

Two distinctive peoples who sometimes mingled were the Mongolian tribes and the Turkoman tribes. Both were fine archers who also fought and hunted on horseback. They were plunderers who attacked agricultural areas close to the steppes and were extremely violent, ruthless ruthless. They are known for having wiped out entire villages and went about looting, raping, and burning anything in their path.

This was their way to obtain food supplies for the harsh winters of the steppes. At the same time, they loved confrontation and fighting, were inherently violent, and taught their children archery and fighting techniques at an early age. Both Mongolian and Turkoman tribes were superb hunters and intrepid warriors. They were a force to reckon with and would eventually dominate Central Asia.

By the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history, spanning from the Sea of Japan to Eastern Europe.

In the eighth century AD, Turkoman tribes, also known as Oghuz Turks, formed a confederation in an area between the Aral and Caspian Seas. By the tenth century, Islamic sources referred to Oghuz Turks as Muslim Turkomen. Beginning in the Late Middle Ages (1300-1500), the term Turkoman vanished and was replaced by Ottoman.

The emblematic gladius sword of the Roman Empire along with the lethal composite bow of the Eurasian Steppe nomadic tribes—who later established the Mongolian and Ottoman Empires—were the two weapons that most profoundly marked the ancient world.