Falcata

Falcata was type of a sword that was in use in the pre-Roman Hispania that encompassed today’s Iberian Peninsula including Spain and Portugal. The falcata sword was similar to Greek kopis sword. The term falcata was coined recently and it is derived from the Latin expression ensis flacatus meaning “sickle-shaped sword”. The shape of the sword distributes the weight so that the weapon is able to deliver heavy blow of an axe while maintaining the cutting blade of a sword. The falcate-type swords were derived from sickle-shaped knives used in the Iron Age. It is believed that falcatas were introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Celts and that their origin is parallel to the Greek Kopis.