falcata

It is unknown which name the people of pre-Roman Hispania gave to the weapon. Falcata is neither a native name nor one used in classical sources, but a 19th century term coined by historian Fernando Fulgosio to describe the shape of its blade. The term derivates from Latin falcatus, meaning literally "falcon-shaped". Classical vocabulary did have a sword named ensis falcatus, but it was apparently meant to be either a falx or a harpe. In any case, the name caught on very quickly and is now firmly entrenched in the scholarly literature.

The falcata has a single-edged blade that pitches forward towards the point, the edge being concave near the hilt, but convex near the point. This shape distributes the weight in such a way that the falcata is capable of delivering a blow with the momentum of an axe, while maintaining the longer cutting edge of a sword, as well as the facility to thrust. The grip is typically hook-shaped, the end often stylized in the shape of a horse or a bird. There is often a thin chain connecting the hooked butt of the handle with the hilt. Though almost identical to the Greek kopis, the falcata is distinguished by the sharpened false edge in the second half of its length.

• Illustration — Falcata of the Necrópolis de los Collados, Almedinilla, Córdoba, Spain Some have posited that the falcata was derived from the sickle-shaped knives of the Iron Age; which coincides with their ritual use. Some speculate it was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Celts, along with iron working. There are several historians who believe that the falcata's origin is coincident to the Greek kopis without deriving from it. However, the extent of profound Hellenic influence both eastwards and westwards, as in Greek trade ports like Emporion (modern Empuries) from the 8th century BCE along the Mediterranean coast of Iberia, the unequivocal archeological record of the kopis predating the falcata by centuries, as well as the utterly anomalous inward "recurve" configuration across the entire world history of blades, all heavily argue for the Greek origin and influence.

Roman armies in the Second Punic War and later, during the Conquest of Hispania, were surprised by the quality of the weapons used by Iberian mercenaries and warriors. The overall quality of the falcata came not only from the shape, but also from the quality of the iron. It is said that steel plates were buried in the ground for two to three years, corroding the weaker steel from them, but this is technically nonsensical as the higher carbon content of the 'better' steel makes it more vulnerable to chemical corrosion. The technique of joining layers of steel in a fire-welding process in a forge was a standard procedure.

• Illustration — Decorated hilt of a 3rd or 4th century BC falcata from Almedinilla, Córdoba (M.A.N., Madrid). In the early times of the tribes in Iberia, its use was more ornamental and liturgical than military. Highly decorated falcata have been found in tombs, for example the Falcata de Almedinilla. The scarcity of the falcata during early times was due to the expense and scarcity of iron in the region.