12-05-2009, 04:31 PM
I've now read this book and while there is nothing new in it, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone beginning a study of gladiators and the games. I can remember when there were no texts in English devoted exclusively to the Roman games except for Mannix's sensationalist "Those About to Die" and Grant's brief, moralizing "Gladiators."
I think Nossov draws some wrong conclusions, such as the retiarius using the manica-clad left hand for throwing the net, but these are minor.
I am intrigued by the Panticapaeum frescoes as well. Surely these are the most lightly-equipped gladiators yet - not even a manica to be seen among them. And are we certain that those are helmets they are wearing, and not some form of Phrygian bonnet? Just as intriguing is that Hollywood-style trident with a spearpoint at its butt and some sort of attachments or decorations on it. It looks like something from a bad gladiator movie. Is there a possibility of finding larger, more detailed pictures of these frescoes?
Lastly, the English translation suffers from numerous typos, the clear result of a publisher content with running the text through a spell-checker instead of doing a line-by-line proofread.
Definitely worth the money and highly recommended.
I think Nossov draws some wrong conclusions, such as the retiarius using the manica-clad left hand for throwing the net, but these are minor.
I am intrigued by the Panticapaeum frescoes as well. Surely these are the most lightly-equipped gladiators yet - not even a manica to be seen among them. And are we certain that those are helmets they are wearing, and not some form of Phrygian bonnet? Just as intriguing is that Hollywood-style trident with a spearpoint at its butt and some sort of attachments or decorations on it. It looks like something from a bad gladiator movie. Is there a possibility of finding larger, more detailed pictures of these frescoes?
Lastly, the English translation suffers from numerous typos, the clear result of a publisher content with running the text through a spell-checker instead of doing a line-by-line proofread.
Definitely worth the money and highly recommended.
Pecunia non olet
