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The pugio (Latin: [ˈpuːɡioː];[1][2] plural: pugiones) was a dagger used by Roman soldiers as a sidearm. It seems likely that the pugio was intended as an auxiliary weapon, but its exact purpose for the soldier remains unknown. Officials of the empire took to wearing ornate daggers in the performance of their offices, and some would wear concealed daggers for defense in contingencies. The dagger was a common weapon of assassination and suicide; for example, the conspirators who stabbed Julius Caesar used pugiones.[3][4] The pugio developed from the daggers used by the Cantabrians of the Iberian peninsula.[4]
- ^ Gaffiot, Félix (1934). Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français (in French). Paris: Librairie Hachette. p. 1275. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023.
- ^ Pinkster, Harm, ed. (2018). Woordenboek Latijn/Nederlands (7th revised ed.). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9789463720519.
- ^ For references to the numerous instances of murder and suicide with the dagger in the ancient authors, look up pugio in the Latin, Greek and Roman materials section of www.perseus.com. English translations are available. Some instances (in addition to the murder of Julius Caesar) appear in the following examples: The letter of Servius Sulpicius Rufus to Cicero mentions that Publius Magius Cilo stabbed Marcus Marcellus after dinner and later committed suicide. A letter from Cicero to Atticus states that a young man, Curio, was falsely accused of fomenting a conspiracy to kill Pompey with a dagger. A letter of Pliny the Younger tells the story of Arria, loving wife of Paetus. When he was ordered to kill himself, she went first, stabbing herself with a dagger and exclaiming "It doesn't hurt, Paete."
- ^ a b Saliola, Marco (2012). Pugio-gladius Brevis Est. Archaeopress, 2012. ISBN 978-140-730-999-6.