The dagger was ornate even by Roman standards. It was worn on the left side of the body, attached to the belt the soldier wore around his waist. The handle was shaped to fit snugly in the hand, and the blade was fashioned from either iron or bronze ans pear shaped. This unusual shape to the blade did not fit with the traditional Roman trait of making weapons to be functional rather than decorative.

The pugio was not just used for warfare, it had many other uses. Peeling fruit, cutting vegtables, in fact nearly anything we do with an everyday knife, the Roman soldier did with hi pugio.