Falcata
Derived from Iron Age sickle-shaped knives and best known for its use by the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars against Rome, the falcata was a Celtiberian single-edged sword with a curved blade that narrowed towards the middle. It featured a hook-shaped grip made of the same piece of metal as the blade, which was often stylized in the shape of a bird or horse, with a chain connecting the hilt and the hooked butt of the grip.
The falcata design, with the blade swelling towards the tip, gave it extra mass upfront. It thus combined the speed and mobility of a sword with the cleaving or chopping power of an ax at the front. The falcata could hack off spear shafts, shatter inferior swords, and deliver tremendous blows that could split shields and helmets, The blade had the added menace of a curve that enhanced the effectiveness of the falcata’s 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, and by Iberian warriors defending their lands during the subsequent century and half of the 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, Iberian warriors 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.
It was not only the quality of the falcata’s design and the ferocity of its wielders that discomfited the Romans, but also the quality of the metal that went into making it. Falcata blades were made from three layers of steel that had been buried for years in order to corrode out weaknesses, that were then joined together in a furnace. Ancient sources report that blade quality was tested by a warrior placing the flat of the blade atop his head, then bending it so handle and tip touched his shoulders. A good falcata blade was expected to spring back into shape, with no hint of the bend.