Gladiator questions

[Lusitano]

Hello, this is my first post in this forum. I've been here reading your posts for a long time but only now did I registered.

I'm part of a portuguese group that does mainly medieval re-enactment, but we are starting to get into roman/gladiators.
What we do is mainly the fighting, we have a school where we train twice a week about 2 to 3 hours a day.

I have a few questions about gladiators that I hope you can help me with.
I am familiar with most types of gladiators and the equipment they wear.

So here it goes:

1-Did gladiators only used swords, daggers and spears(and trident) as weapons? Did they ever used axes or any other more uncommon weapon?

2-To my knowledge most gladiator types are from an ethnic background, except the retiarius, did he have a similiar background.

3-I'm a bit confused with the equipment of the Samnite, most sources(read internet sites) state that de samnite was later replaced by the hoplomahus or even the murmillo. Also they say his equipment was the same as the murmillo, but there is also references that the samnite people(not the gladiator) used an oblong shield. What equipment did he use? Pictures would be apreciated.

4-I'm Also trying to find a kind of a gladiatorial timeline. When did gladiator "X" started to appear? Is there any thing of the sort?.
This question is a bit related with the above, if the samnite was replaced with the murmillo would it be correct to pair him(the samnite) with a retiarius or a thracian?

5-This is a tough question to explain so bear with me. Can we say there are 4 different stages of "evolution"/states in the gladiator helmet?
I'm saying this because what i have read is that at first their equipment was mainly the equipment captured from war prisioners, so that would be stage 1. Stage 2 would be inclusion of cheek pieces on those helmets that hadnt any and the "romanizing" of the helmet. Stage 3 would be the inclusion of the face mask and finally stage 4 the helmets get bigger and more complex.

6-Since I'm from Portugal is there any evidence of gladiatorial games in the Iberian peninsula.

7-Since conquered enemies were sometimes portrayed in a gladiator type is there any type for iberians/lusitanii. And if there wasnt or at least no evidence of them, what do you think they would be like.

Those are my questions for now, but if I may leave a sugestion you should have in this section a post about each gladiator with a complete description of arms and armour, combat stance, pictures, opponents, etc. It would be very interesting.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Conal]

1-Did gladiators only used swords, daggers and spears(and trident) as weapons? Did they ever used axes or any other more uncommon weapon?

You cannot say that such weapons were not used in the provinces but it would be very unlikley in the main arenas.


2-To my knowledge most gladiator types are from an ethnic background, except the retiarius, did he have a similiar background.

This is a bit of a mystery but as far as can be acertained he had no link to an ethnic group.

3-I'm a bit confused with the equipment of the Samnite, most sources(read internet sites) state that de samnite was later replaced by the hoplomahus or even the murmillo. Also they say his equipment was the same as the murmillo, but there is also references that the samnite people(not the gladiator) used an oblong shield. What equipment did he use? Pictures would be apreciated.

Samnite may have been a generic term for early gladiators as there are theories that the first gladiators wore captured samnite armour. The Samnite appears to have developed as a Murmillio rather than a Hoplomachus. He would have had Helmet, long shield, grieve on the leading leg only and a short sword

4-I'm Also trying to find a kind of a gladiatorial timeline. When did gladiator "X" started to appear? Is there any thing of the sort?.
This question is a bit related with the above, if the samnite was replaced with the murmillo would it be correct to pair him(the samnite) with a retiarius or a thracian?

Not possible to be exact but a change seems to have taken place at the same time the republic became an empire.

5-This is a tough question to explain so bear with me. Can we say there are 4 different stages of "evolution"/states in the gladiator helmet?
I'm saying this because what i have read is that at first their equipment was mainly the equipment captured from war prisioners, so that would be stage 1. Stage 2 would be inclusion of cheek pieces on those helmets that hadnt any and the "romanizing" of the helmet. Stage 3 would be the inclusion of the face mask and finally stage 4 the helmets get bigger and more complex.

The developement from purely military types, all likely to have cheek pieces to more speciality gladiator types may well have had 4 stages as you say. I like to think that it was a gradual increase in the protection afforded by cheek pieces and brims which lead to the final forms we know . It may have been several distinct jumps in design by radical inovation though.

6-Since I'm from Portugal is there any evidence of gladiatorial games in the Iberian peninsula.

The Roman military were there so it is likley, as arenas are often associated with military camps.


7-Since conquered enemies were sometimes portrayed in a gladiator type is there any type for iberians/lusitanii. And if there wasnt or at least no evidence of them, what do you think they would be like.

It is strange that no Falcata armed gladiators are represented in the record. I would think a small shield falcata wielding warrior against a large shield small sword warrior would be interesting.



Take what i have said as me view and not fact and consine your reseach
[/i]

[Lusitano]

Thanks for the answers Conal.

But still on the samnite.

What sort of helmet would he had?
Would it have the face mask or only cheek pieces?

And what kind of shield?
Square, oval?

Would the sword be a gladius?

I'm sorry for beeing so specific, but since i'm trying to do a sketch of each gladiator I need all the right elements.

[Martin Moser]

But still on the samnite.

Problem is that the samnite seems not readily identifiable so far. It isn't even sure whether the samnite ever was an armatura as strictly defined as those of the 1st century AD for example. My answers are based on what Marcus Junkelmann has written on this in his "Das Spiel mit dem Tod", please check this for more indepth information.

What sort of helmet would he had?
Would it have the face mask or only cheek pieces?

Since he was mostly a republican gladiator, I would think helmet with cheek pieces should be a good guess.

And what kind of shield?
Square, oval?

Hard to say, but probably a medium to large shield

Would the sword be a gladius?

Probably, but a spear (or more than one, possibly supplied by assistants) might also be a possibility.

[Conal]

I agree with Martin.

Samnite may have been what they called all Gladiators , and dont forget that the first recorded showing was in 264BC and that the reforms came in under Augustus 31BC to AD14.

My guess would be that early gladiators would look very similar to Samnite warriors and that as time progressed they may have looked more like the Roman military.

[Lusitano]

I dont have "Das Spiel mit dem Tod" and I dont understand german but i've heard the pictures alone are worth it. Are there any translations of that book?

Onto a new types of gladiator (is armatura the type of gladiator).

The Laquerius:

Was it similar to the retiarius only with spear and rope?
Or just the rope and nothing more

The Bustuarii:

I know nothing about this one except they fought around a dead person, could you please tell me his equipment.

The Velite

Also another i dont know much about except he used a spear could you be more specific.

The Crupellarius

The only historical image I have of this one is a picture of a statue wearing full body armor, helmet and no sort of weaponry. But here he is depicted with round shield and sword.
I've read somewhere that he was good at taking blows but lousy at inflicting them. So it seems to me that he would have no weapons, kind of a modern battle tank but with no ammo. Is there any evidence of what is weapons(if any) were?

Thanks again for everything

[Conal]

The Laquerius:

Was it similar to the retiarius only with spear and rope?
Or just the rope and nothing more.

Very little is known. So little it is not possible to know anything other than he may have made use of a rope to capture his foe.

The Bustuarii:

I know nothing about this one except they fought around a dead person, could you please tell me his equipment.

These were the original funiary gladaitors who fought at or shorly after a funeral in honour of the dead. I woul;d guess at Samnite type armour if I was pushed on it.

The Velite

Also another i dont know much about except he used a spear could you be more specific.

I can't as again it is based on very little onformation. Som eof these Gladiator types may have been mentioned in passing only once in someones letters which were not specifically be about teh arena.

The Crupellarius

The only historical image I have of this one is a picture of a statue wearing full body armor, helmet and no sort of weaponry. But here he is depicted with round shield and sword.
I've read somewhere that he was good at taking blows but lousy at inflicting them. So it seems to me that he would have no weapons, kind of a modern battle tank but with no ammo. Is there any evidence of what is weapons(if any) were?

I have my doubts about this one as its sole mention relates to a battle between Roman military and Celtic/Gallic warriors who were dressed as a gladiator type from their region. It reeks of later tales about Medielval Knights being unable to get on a horse without a winch as their armour was soooo heavy. I have seen a fully armoured re-enactor do a cartwheelhock:

The statue you mention cannot be definatly identified as a crupellarius, conversly no one can say its not one :?

[Lusitano]

I know its a bit of topic but ...

It reeks of later tales about Medielval Knights being unable to get on a horse without a winch as their armour was soooo heavy. I have seen a fully armoured re-enactor do a cartwheelhock:

The heavy armors you talk about are the jousting ones. Altough heavy as they were its wasnt the reason why they were winched onto the horse. From a certain point in time the shield arm was "stuck" onto the chest. It would be very difficult for a knight to get on the horse with only one arm and wearing all that armour and to avoid certain humiliation they were winched.

[Martin Kealey]

Lusitano:

You seem to have a good command of English. If you would like, I can make my English translation of Das Spiel mit dem Tod available to you. Send me a private message.

Martin Kealey

[Lusitano]

Lusitano:

You seem to have a good command of English. If you would like, I can make my English translation of Das Spiel mit dem Tod available to you. Send me a private message.

Martin Kealey

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