Template:Wiktinary The Spatharius, wielder of a Roman short sword (between 0.70 and 1 m), the Spatha. The Spatharii were imperial body-guards at the court in Constantinople,[1] also called Hastarii (armed with hastae), their officiers were known as Protospatharii.
The term spatharius is strictly an adjective, and may denote anything "pertaining to the spatha". A spatharius could also be a servant functioning as "sword-keeper", i.e. charged with looking after his master's sword[2]
In the Lex Alemannorum (79.7), a spatharius is a sword-maker.
Aelfric's glosses spatharius as swyrd-bora. Id est, Ensifer.
In the 12th century, the Milites Ordinis Militaris S. Jacobi de la Spatha, a Spanish military order were known as Spatharii.
References
- ^ Spatharius, Imperatorii corporis custos, Σωματοφύλαξ, Cedreno : dignitas in Imperio Constantinopolitano sat illustris. Gloriosi Spatharii, dicuntur Alcuino. Vita S. Theophanis Confess. n. 10 : ϓ[?]ψη- λοτέρῳ δὲ βαθμῷ, ἤτοι τῶν Σπαθαρίων τῷ ϰαταλόγῳ ὑπό τε βασιλέως τιμηθείς, διῆγε τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον. Vide Chronicon Alexandrinum pag. 692. Vitam S. Lucæ junioris n. 64. et quæ observavimus ad Alexiadem pag. 259.
- ^ Corp. inscr. Lat. 6, 9898; 6, 9049; Papias: Armiger, vulgo Spatarius.
- The Norwegian viking swords by Jan Petersen (1919) translated by Kristin Noer (1998)
- Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, et al., Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, éd. augm., Niort : L. Favre, 1883‑1887, t. 7, col. 545a