The Pugio: Combat Knife of a Roman Soldier

In ancient Rome the equipment of the Roman soldier - both the legionary and the auxilia - encompassed more than a gladius, scutum and body armour; strung from their side was a war dagger called the pugio. This weapon was first adopted as a foreign invention during the times of the Roman republic, but like so many things in the Roman army, the pugio evolved into a typically Roman piece of equipment during the times of the Roman empire.