Are there disadvantages to having a cross-guard? Many greek and roman era swords don't seem to have them
Basically the purpose of a crossguard is to protect the hands. Especially if you would happen to lock blade to blade in a clinch.
The reason why most Greek and Roman swords lack a crossguard is because they were primarily used as common infantry weapons to be used in combination with a shield, and the men being organized into units such as phalanxes, maniples, or cohorts where the men can support each other. They really weren’t meant to be individual combat weapons used one on one by duelists, even though gladiators did use them. The gladius and most other Greek and ancient swords really weren’t intended for slashing, but primarily as stabbing implements. In Roman warfare, especially around late republic and early empire combat was done in tight quarters, and was very up close and personal. So much so that to swing a sword wasn’t practical. Thus Roman tactics revolved around the idea of aggressive defense with a very big shield, and stabbing the enemy with a short sword. Not saying slashing and parrying wouldn’t have ever been done, but this was the general tactic of the day.
By the time of the late Roman Empire, however, short swords became obsolete for close quarter combat with the increased usage of heavy cavalry. Thus the Roman Army traded the gladius for the spatha, a much longer sword that gave an infantryman better reach against a mounted enemy. Roman tactics evolved from aggressive close quarter combat to more defensive tactics using tight shield walls,spears, and long swords to keep the enemy at a distance.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the Spatha would become the basic pattern for most Migration Period and early Medieval swords, and would evolve in time to become knightly swords of the Middle Ages. By the mid to late Middle Ages dueling became popular, as did the use of two handed swords when things like heavy plate armor made it less necessary to carry a big shield. Dueling was especially common between knights and nobles in the form of tournaments and judicial duels, thus one on one combat became more important. Thus swords technology evolved where swords were developed that could be used on the battlefield but at the same time by used as a dueling weapon. Thus the crossguard became popular.
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