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A Sports Dispute Started the Cuban Missile Crisis and Other Odd Facts

Khalid Elhassan October 28, 2019 31 min

3rd century BC Iberian warrior reenactor with a falcata. Wikimedia

9. A Frightening Cut and Thrust Weapon

The falcata’s blade had the added menace of a curve that enhanced the effectiveness of the cutting edge. The broad front tapered off into a sharp point, which rendered the sword suitable for thrusting as well. It was one of the most devastating swords ever faced by the Romans, who first encountered it in the hands of Iberian mercenaries fighting as light infantry for Carthage during the Second Punic War.

It was also wielded, to devastating effect, by Iberian warriors defending their lands during the subsequent century and half of wars fought by the Roman Republic to subdue and conquer the Iberian Peninsula. Iberian warriors wielding falcatas usually fought light, armed only with sword, small shield, and a javelin. After casting their javelins, the Iberians quickly closed in and sought to overwhelm their foes with speed and ferocity, employing their falcatas in combinations of slashing cuts, thrusts, and smashing overhand blows.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.