Parazonium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A parazonium is a long triangular dagger, wide at the hilt end and coming to a point. In Roman iconography, it is frequently carried by Virtus, particularly in early representations of the deity, Mars, and Dea Roma, as well as the emperor, military tribunes[1] and other senior officers, giving them the aura of courage.
In Roman statuary, the weapon is cradled in the bearer's left arm or, on Trajan's Column, for example, it is stuck into the left side of the officer's chest band. Existing examples on statuary show that the parazonium's scabbard shape is a direct copy of the few existing Greek parazonia on display at various Greek museums. The weapon's hilt, grip, and pommel are not copies of the Greek style. The pommel cap is either an eagle's head or a bi-lobed pommel. The details of the hand grip on the statues are no longer clear after 2,000 years. The guards, contrary to some reports, are authentic and are a rather theatrical "S" shape with inset detail. The Roman parazonium blade tended to be leaf shape and approximately 15–19 in (380–480 mm) long.
