07-21-2010, 02:05 PM
after i received a copy of this tv show quite some time ago i finally had time to watch it yesterday taking some notes to the following points (some of them already mentioned by others here):
1) junkelmann defines the bestiarius as the animal keeper, the actual beast fighter would be named venator.hoewever, it is wrong to say that the beast fighter was untrained and therefore most likely condemned to death. although not as popular as gladiators they were also trained. in rome they had their own school, the ludus matutinus ("the morning school" as beast fights usually took place in the morning).
2) as was already pointed out by conal, i, too wondered when they referred to the alleged murmillo if he did wear a manica or if a sword could cut through it under certain circumstances. they did not say anything about it. then they said the blunt wound come from a scutum crashing down on the arm of the man lying on the floor. the movie scene showed a murmillo causing these injuries to a thraex, so why do they say it the other way around? in my opinion its very thin to conclude from injuries the exact gladiator type.
3) the alleged thraex died thruogh the hammer blow of the arena attendant dressed as charun. the roblem is that only noxii (condemned criminals) were killed like that. fallen gladiators were carried out on a stretcher from the arena and their throat was slit behind the scenes to make sure they are not feigning their death.
4) it didn't make sense to me that esp. secutores were recruited from slaves and had to wear foot shackle even when fighting in the arena.
5) thinking that young man from the equestrian order (called equites) signing up as gladiators fighting on horseback (also called equites) seems very far-stretched. it was disgraceful esp. for members of the senatorial and equestrian class to appear publicly as gladiators, they would lose all their rights to run for office etc. the movie scene showed on gladiator already dismounted while the other one still sat on horseback. presumably the equites started their fight on horseback and then both dismounted to continue fighting on foot.
6) imho all gladiators need their right and left arms more or less equally, also the retiarius who switches the trident from left to right after the net is thrown, so that a young net fighter has one longer arm is also far-stretched. also gladiators were killed honorably this means they would never be beheaded.
after watching this documentary i see my previously stated doubts confirmed. saying that they found graves of gladiators is more attractive to the media than roman mass graves of criminals were found.
ps: sorry for my constant use of small letters, had a bicycle accident and one arm in a cast.
1) junkelmann defines the bestiarius as the animal keeper, the actual beast fighter would be named venator.hoewever, it is wrong to say that the beast fighter was untrained and therefore most likely condemned to death. although not as popular as gladiators they were also trained. in rome they had their own school, the ludus matutinus ("the morning school" as beast fights usually took place in the morning).
2) as was already pointed out by conal, i, too wondered when they referred to the alleged murmillo if he did wear a manica or if a sword could cut through it under certain circumstances. they did not say anything about it. then they said the blunt wound come from a scutum crashing down on the arm of the man lying on the floor. the movie scene showed a murmillo causing these injuries to a thraex, so why do they say it the other way around? in my opinion its very thin to conclude from injuries the exact gladiator type.
3) the alleged thraex died thruogh the hammer blow of the arena attendant dressed as charun. the roblem is that only noxii (condemned criminals) were killed like that. fallen gladiators were carried out on a stretcher from the arena and their throat was slit behind the scenes to make sure they are not feigning their death.
4) it didn't make sense to me that esp. secutores were recruited from slaves and had to wear foot shackle even when fighting in the arena.
5) thinking that young man from the equestrian order (called equites) signing up as gladiators fighting on horseback (also called equites) seems very far-stretched. it was disgraceful esp. for members of the senatorial and equestrian class to appear publicly as gladiators, they would lose all their rights to run for office etc. the movie scene showed on gladiator already dismounted while the other one still sat on horseback. presumably the equites started their fight on horseback and then both dismounted to continue fighting on foot.
6) imho all gladiators need their right and left arms more or less equally, also the retiarius who switches the trident from left to right after the net is thrown, so that a young net fighter has one longer arm is also far-stretched. also gladiators were killed honorably this means they would never be beheaded.
after watching this documentary i see my previously stated doubts confirmed. saying that they found graves of gladiators is more attractive to the media than roman mass graves of criminals were found.
ps: sorry for my constant use of small letters, had a bicycle accident and one arm in a cast.
