Gladiator pairings

[Decimus Apollonius]

Thanks for the info Tobias. Thats very neat. I had no idea that there was so much to learn about the Gladiators as well

[Tib. Gabinius]

Was a pleasure
BTW the ideas about "roman thinking of fairness" comes from historical evolutions like the secutor.
First time retiarii fought against myrmillones (i should had mentioned it above), but of course they had very good chances with their net to get them on their helmets, the developed the secutor, so the chances of being successful with the net become less, and the general chances in the fight very a bit more balanced.

[Decimus Apollonius]

It really does make sense when you think of it like that. By keeping a balance you end up with a better performance / fight.

[john m roberts]

Another way to look at it is:
Big shield vs. small shield
Big shield vs. weapon with reach
For instance, when the hoplomachus fought the Murmillo, his principal weapon was a spear, with a sword held in reserve behind his small shield.
But when the hoplo fought the Thraex and both had small shields, he used only the sword because the spear would have given him too much advantage.
Why certain styles fought only within their own category (essedarius, provocator) is unknown.
These pairings are standard for the western empire. In the east, we sometimes see different pairings and equipment. The standard pairings remained rigid in the west after the 1st century, but they continued to evolve in the east or perhaps just never took hold there.