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Dimachaerus relief (and thoughts on it)
#1
Hi folks

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/ancientfil...linenum=39

Well as stated above, I found a picture of a gladiator relief which looks to have to dimachaerii on it. It's hard to figure out if they fought without helmets or if the helmets carved onto the relief are the artist's way of showing they were either optional, perhaps knocked off, the style of helmet they would have used or perhaps the gladiators on the relief were famous and the artist wanted to show the viewer who these two gladiators were. Also, the subligaculum seems to be either worn backwards, or perhaps tied differently or maybe even another style on the left side gladiator.

What I can say for certain however is that it appears as if the dimachaerus wore only one manica, two greaves and a chest plate. Mind you it is hard to tell if the manicae in this relief were capped off at the shoulder or if they only went as far as the top of the bicep/tricep. Also, I notice that on the gladiator standing up, his balteus appears to be what I'm guessing is two inches wide compared to the one on the ground who appears - if he is wearing a balteus - to be wearing one that would be what I'm guessing to be 4 inches wide. Another couple things I've noticed are that the gladiator standing up is holding two pugio rather than two gladii or sicaii. Could the dimachaerus really only have been a knife fighter and if so, would it make sense to say that they were only paired up against other dimachaeri?

As per reference to the balteus, helmets, subligaculum and pugios above, could the dimachaerus even have been a class that allowed gladiators to have a partial/complete say in what kit they could use?

What do you guys think?
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#2
Hi,
this is a rather famous relief with its own background story:
Just the first hit from google ;-)

Junkelmann discusses in "Das Spiel mit dem Tod" if this is a fight between dimachaeri. He comes to the (rather obvious) conclusion that these are Provocatores. Both seem to have lost their shields and helmets and the winner has taken up the losers sword.
Both shields and helmets are still depicted in the background.

This is the whole tombstone with its Greek inscription:
http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/01...1308309516
Florian D.
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#3
Rubus is absoultely right.
Here is everything we know about the Dimachaerus currently:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/16304645...397080011/
If you are not on Facebook, I can also send you this short essay I wrote.
Olaf Küppers - Histotainment, Event und Promotion - Germany
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