The pugio was a versatile weapon used by Roman infantrymen from around the late 2nd century B.C. to the 3rd century A.D. It was generally a backup sidearm when the soldier’s primary weapon, the gladius, was unavailable or damaged. Its relatively compact size and double-edged blade made it ideal for close-quarters combat, allowing soldiers to thrust or slash effectively in tight spaces. The pugio was worn on the left side, in a sheath that was then attached to the belt with straps. 

It also had symbolic significance, carried by officers and elite soldiers as a mark of status and authority. They are often seen on the gravestones of Roman soldiers as part of an image of the deceased in full armour (cf. below a Roman marble stele of Terentianus wearing a pugio on his left side). The pugio was the weapon famously used by the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 B.C., as depicted on coins commemorating the event. The Roman historian Cassius Dio recounts, "Brutus stamped, upon the coins which were being minted, his own likeness and a cap and two daggers indicating by this and by the inscription that he and Cassius had liberated the fatherland." (Dio's Roman History, Book 47, Chapter 25, Section 3). 

Fullers, sometimes inaccurately referred to as "blood channels" or "blood grooves," are a design feature that reduces the weight of the weapon while maintaining its structural integrity. By removing material from areas that contribute least to the blade's strength, in a manner similar to the engineering principle behind an I-beam, fullers allow the blade to be significantly lighter without meaningful loss of durability. When combined with proper distal tapers, heat treatment, and blade tempering, a fullered blade can be 20–35% lighter than a non-fullered blade without any sacrifice of strength or blade integrity. This reduction in weight also improves handling. Shifting mass away from the tip moves the point of balance closer to the grip, improving control and precision, valuable qualities in close-quarters combat.

Historically, fullers were believed by some to aid in the release of suction when the blade was withdrawn from flesh. The idea being that a groove would break a vacuum created by muscle contraction around the blade. However, this is a misconception. Modern historians and practitioners who have tested the theory find no practical difference in withdrawal effort between fullered and non-fullered blades, and there is no credible historical or archaeological evidence to support the claim. 

The waisted form, overall scale and channels of this example bear a similarity to the so-called Leeuwen pugio, dated to the 1st century A.D., which was found near the Rhine River in Leeuwen, the Netherlands. This example is complete with a sheath and is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.