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Thank you for those links - very interesting.

What I seem to recal "seeing" were no doubt the "Pompei" versions, although the article indicates that these did not come into common usage untill around 70AD.

I would estimate the approximate time of my "memories" to have been around 15 - 20 AD, and the Legionarries I "saw" sure had 'em then.

Re. the "draw" of the Gladius; they have the initial grip right; thumb down, palm out on hilt.

But then they show the blade being swung around from the scabbard in a downwards, somewhat out-angled arc.
If you did that in a close order Battle formation / Line, you'd be whacking or sticking your right lineman as you drew. that can lead to dissention in the ranks!

What I "watched" them do, was to extend the right arm / hilt upwards as if in a "salut", and as the point of the blade cleared the scabbard, with a flip of the wrist they would "snap" the gladius into the thrusting position so quickly that you could hardly see the point just clearing his armpit. The blade would pass INside the right arm as it rotated UPwards.

They wore a fairly heavy, studded leather "apron" which the later Scots imitated with the "Sporran"; It might have had a pocket in the backside to stash a few things, a-la haversack. But it also acted as a counterweight to "anchor" the Gladius scabbard so that it would not "follow" the sword upwards as it was drawn. Sort of like the Western Gunfighter who lashed his holster down to his leg to facilitate a fast draw.

They had two basic "draws", and that was one of them.

The other was more defensive, and intended for close quarters.

In this draw, the hand siezed the hilt from the outside, thumb up, palm in.

The Gladius was jerked up and out, with the blade lying flat down the Soldier's palmer forarm, tip just barely overhanging the elbow, and used to block and deflect an incoming blow, much as Karate or Tae-Kwon-Do fighters do, or Aikido fighters block with the Tongfa or nunchukus.

I call this the "Cubital Block", but I don't know what they called it in Latin.

Immediately after deflecting the blow from sword, club, or whatever, the Legionarry stepped quickly inside of the attacker's defenses with the opposite foot from the direction that he'd just delected the blow, spinning as he did to close on the enemy's body facing away from him about 45*. the right arm would be flung accross the chest and back, so the elbow - and the point of the gladius tucked alongside it - pointed to the enemy's exposed flank.

The gladuis would then be thrust backwards into the enemy's abdomen upwards, so as to sever the diaghram and or liver / spleen. If no shield was in the left hand, it would come in on the pommel ball to help shove the blade home. Like a Karate punch, the stab and withdraw were all one quick, violent motion, and the Roman would "kick off" of the enemy with the lunge and spring back to his line or original position, taking his bloodied gladius with him.

As an option, the cubital block could be brought up with the wrist cocked out a little, bringing the edge out over the forarm, slashing a close enemy accross the neck or face as it went up. An option would be to clop the guy in the chops with the pommel ball.

Then the arm was quickly brought down between antagonists to about waist level, shoulders and hips rotating a little to the left, an the wrist extended or "cocked back" a little more to direct the point into the enemy's innards. The right foot came off of the ground to put the body weight into the stab, which if the left hand were clear, could come in to help drive it all the deeper.

The Legionarrie's right foot came down with a decisive stomp as the steel went home and back out. Done correctly, the corpse of the attacker would litteraly be thrown off of the gladius and backwards for several feet - or into the faces of his followers, whichever came first.

The gladius was precisely balanced like a jugglers' pin, and could be thrown with deadly accuracy in a pinch.

I'm not sure but what some of the village patrols could be begged into juggling their gladei by the ragtag little bands of little boys who liked to follow them around, when the Officers weren't watching them, of course.

That could be quite a show.