Duke of Craft
New Member
I'm planning out a replica build for Proximo's Rudius (perhaps historically rudeus or rudis), the wooden sword presented to him from Marcus Aurelius as a symbol of his freedom. This prop sword has only a few seconds of screen time across two scenes in Gladiator, and I have been unable to find any record of it being sold or any reference images other than stills from the film.
I'm wondering if anyone here may have any knowledge of the original prop such as its materials, dimensions, etc.? Other information about the original prop maker, etc. is also welcome.
From my observations, the blade itself, and perhaps the guard and pommel, may have been made from olivewood. This makes canonical sense for two reasons: firstly, it's a tree native to the Mediterranean region, significant to its culture and cuisine; secondly, the "olive branch" is symbolic of peace, which seems to make sense in the context of the rudius.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it has highly contrasting grain patterns which look similar to those on the blade in the film. The wood color in the film appears substantially darker than natural olivewood, but it also appears to be varnished. I'm thinking a coat or two of walnut Danish oil (or lighter) might produce a similar look. All that said, olivewood is considered a somewhat expensive "exotic" wood, so I do question whether it would have been used for this prop.
As for dimensions, it seems the historical length of the Roman gladius varied from 18-24 inches long, and 2-3 inches wide. I expect that, as a ceremonial wooden sword, the prop's dimensions were probably near the bottom of both ranges.
The guard and pommel are made of wood, presumably the same as the blade. on the narrow side facets of both, there appear to be small plates of ivory. There are also flat ivory plates on the handle side of both the guard and pommel.
There are brass plates on both the guard and pommel with the following engravings:
Pommel:
EX•ARENA•IN
LIBERTATEM
Rough translation from Latin: "Out of the sand into freedom". Evidently, the word "arena" originated from the Latin word for "sand" and later evolved to mean "sands of the amphitheater".
The end of the pommel also bears a thick brass plate engraved with "PROXIMO"
Guard:
MARCUS•AURELIUS
CMXIV•CMXXII
Translation: "Marcus Aurelius 914 922". My semi-educated guess is that the 914 refers to the year in which Proximo became a gladiator, and 922 refers to the year he was freed. That would convert to approximately the years 161 and 169 A.D., which lines up well with the timeline of the film's story which begins in winter of 180 A.D.
The grip appears to be carved from ivory and inlaid with a small silver medallion, probably meant to be the likeness of Marcus Aurelius or possibly a previous Caesar.
I've love to hear people's thoughts on this.
I'm wondering if anyone here may have any knowledge of the original prop such as its materials, dimensions, etc.? Other information about the original prop maker, etc. is also welcome.
From my observations, the blade itself, and perhaps the guard and pommel, may have been made from olivewood. This makes canonical sense for two reasons: firstly, it's a tree native to the Mediterranean region, significant to its culture and cuisine; secondly, the "olive branch" is symbolic of peace, which seems to make sense in the context of the rudius.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it has highly contrasting grain patterns which look similar to those on the blade in the film. The wood color in the film appears substantially darker than natural olivewood, but it also appears to be varnished. I'm thinking a coat or two of walnut Danish oil (or lighter) might produce a similar look. All that said, olivewood is considered a somewhat expensive "exotic" wood, so I do question whether it would have been used for this prop.
As for dimensions, it seems the historical length of the Roman gladius varied from 18-24 inches long, and 2-3 inches wide. I expect that, as a ceremonial wooden sword, the prop's dimensions were probably near the bottom of both ranges.
The guard and pommel are made of wood, presumably the same as the blade. on the narrow side facets of both, there appear to be small plates of ivory. There are also flat ivory plates on the handle side of both the guard and pommel.
There are brass plates on both the guard and pommel with the following engravings:
Pommel:
EX•ARENA•IN
LIBERTATEM
Rough translation from Latin: "Out of the sand into freedom". Evidently, the word "arena" originated from the Latin word for "sand" and later evolved to mean "sands of the amphitheater".
The end of the pommel also bears a thick brass plate engraved with "PROXIMO"
Guard:
MARCUS•AURELIUS
CMXIV•CMXXII
Translation: "Marcus Aurelius 914 922". My semi-educated guess is that the 914 refers to the year in which Proximo became a gladiator, and 922 refers to the year he was freed. That would convert to approximately the years 161 and 169 A.D., which lines up well with the timeline of the film's story which begins in winter of 180 A.D.
The grip appears to be carved from ivory and inlaid with a small silver medallion, probably meant to be the likeness of Marcus Aurelius or possibly a previous Caesar.
I've love to hear people's thoughts on this.
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