Roman Culture/Roman Army

Scutum
A large body shield that measures 2.5 ft. wide and 4 ft. tall. During the Roman republic was oval shaped, but in later years of the first century AD a rectangular shape was then used. Scutum’s were usually painted with the insignia of the Army Unit, and was stored in a leather case which had the same insignia form pieces of leather sewn onto the face of the cover. In battle when Romans would charge their enemy the Roman soldiers would hold their shields in front of themselves, so that the force of impact would knock their enemies to the ground. Soldiers would often rest their scutum on the ground and fight from behind it while crouched. This would lower the soldier’s center of gravity, which would make it harder for them to be knocked off balance, and allow more of their body to be protected.

EDIT: 12-10-11 Rojen: scanned for spelling errors, plagiarism, and if image was free to use. could not determine free use.

Gladius
The Gladius was a sword used by the Roman Army. The Gladius was a small sword that was about 18-24 inches long, that was mainly used for close combat. The reason for it being small was due to better efficiency in battle rather than using a big sword which would make it hard to fight with. Eventually the Glaidus became obsolete to the Spatha that was used by the Calvary.