A confusing story about the origin of the Gladius is given to us by Polybius. Quoting from a fragment of book twenty-two, “The Celtiberians excel the rest of the world in the construction of their swords; for their point is strong and serviceable, they can deliver a cut with both edges. Wherefore the Romans abandoned their traditional swords after the Hannibalian War and adopted those of the Iberians. They adopted, I say, the construction of the swords, but they can, by no means imitate the excellence of the steel or the other points in which they are elaborately finished.”
What was this ancestral sword they abandoned? Can we assume a pointed gladius did not exist before that time? Contradicting himself, Polybius told the story of an engagement by Flaminius in 223 B.C. where the Gallic swords are mentioned as having no points. This implies the Roman swords did have points.