---
title: Mainz Gladius
author: British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13509/mainz-gladius/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2024-10-08
---
# Mainz Gladius
_Authored by British Museum_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/13509.jpg)
## Image Caption
A [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) gladius besides its [bronze](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/bronze/) sheath decorated with tin and [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/). Made c. 15 CE and found near Mainz, Germany, from where this style of gladius gets its name. The Mainz gladius was longer and had a more triangular point than the older Hispaniensis type.
The ornate sheath depicts the Roman general (and future [Roman emperor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Emperor/)) [Tiberius](https://www.worldhistory.org/Tiberius/) (r. 14 to 37 CE) symbolically ceding victory to [Augustus](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/) (r. 27 BCE - 14 CE). The Roman [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) [Mars](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mars/) and the goddess [Nike](https://www.worldhistory.org/nike/), the personification of Victory, are also pictured. It was likely commissioned by an officer of the [Roman army](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Army/) to commemorate a victory over the Germanic people in the Alps region.
Blade: 57.5 x 7 cm ( 22.6 x 2.7 in), Sheath: 58.5 x 8.7 cm (23 x 3.4 in).
The British Museum, London.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Museum, B. (2021, March 01). Mainz Gladius. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Museum, British. "Mainz Gladius." *World History Encyclopedia*, March 01, 2021. .
### MLA
Museum, British. "Mainz Gladius." *World History Encyclopedia*, 01 Mar 2021, .
## License & Copyright
The British Museum has released this image under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International ([CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)) license. You can read more about the British Museum and Creative Commons [here](https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use/copyright_and_permissions.aspx). [Original image](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1866-0806-1) by [**British Museum**](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1866-0806-1). Submitted by [Arienne King](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/ava.spartan.117/ "User Page: Arienne King"), published on 01 March 2021. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.