Xiphos
Xiphos, the sword of the Greeks, had a straight, double-edged blade, 40–45 cm long and 5–6 cm wide, with a 10–12 cm long hilt, housed in a scabbard of metal or leather, the latter often with richly decorated fittings; it was carried on a baldric over the right shoulder and hung on the hoplite‘s left side. A different form is the Spartan makhaira, which, similar to the Greek meat and fish knife, is a broad curved sword with the cutting edge on the outer curve.
Available Miniatures
- Greek Infantry, 5th to 4th Century B.C., 1:72 Atlantic 1805
- Greek Infantry, 5th to 4th Century B.C., 1:72 Zvezda 8005
Bibliography
- Connolly, Peter: The Greek Armies (Lond. 1977)
Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909