Roman Offensive Weapons
The Dagger / Pugio
 

see also sections for Sword/Gladius/Spatha, Sword Belt / Cingulum / Balteus , Lance / Spear / Pilum, and in the Reconstruction Section
 

Roman soldiers used a dagger, called the pugio, as secondary (back-up ?) offensive weapon. These are often highly decorated and were clearly a status symbol.

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• The Pugio of the Roman Republic
• The Pugio in the 1st century AD
• The Pugio in 2nd - 3rd century AD
• Knives

Roman Republic

Pugio blades and handles of the Republic to the first Century AD

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 
 

First Century AD

4 pugio scabbards, decorated with intricate silver inlays (Köln, Nijmegen, and Princeton)

RGZM Mainz, pugios with beautiful silver and brass inlays

Museo Naz. Arch. Portogruaro - IT - courtesy www.roma-victrix.com;    drawing shows handles and fittings    Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop

Pugios from the Leiden Museum, NL

 Landesmuseum Bonn

Currently on display at Museum Carnuntinum ( Austria, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg)
Published: Exhibition catalogue "Legionsadler und Druidenstab, F. Humer, 2006," ISBN 3854602294"

Pugio blades and sheaths of the first Century AD

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 

Early Pugio blade

Image from Hermann Historica Auction 154, 2008
 
 

Second and Third Centuries

The blade of a "pugio" of the third century, note the very wide and waved blade:

other late pugios (Archeological Museum Munich)

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 

Knives:

Other knives used by roman military, not to be confused with the pugio as above, Carnuntum

Knive scabbard decoration (Vindonissa Museum), with text

 

Related Sections of the Roman Numismatic Gallery:

The  Location of Roman Legions from Caesar to ca. 300 AD is summarized in a table.
Military Equipment
Military Diploma
Roman Legionary Bricks
Countermarks of roman legions on coins are shown in the Legionary Countermark section.
Coins making reference to roman legions are to be found in the Legionary Coin section.
Wars and Victories on Roman coins.
Roman Military Main Page