04-29-2009, 08:03 PM
I got the book in the meantime as well but haven't finished it yet, to be honest I'm still very much in the beginning (since I don't take the train to work anylonger but ride the bike I lack time to read :wink: ). I agree with Gorgon that Dunkle quotes a lot from older but standard works such as Robert and Ville as well as from Junkelmann and Shadrake and Jacobina Jacobell ("Gladiators at Pompeii"). Because I do have all the other books there is actually not that much new stuff in it for me but it is interesting what seems important to him which was not that important to others.
Sometimes I think he zones out from the current topic, e.g. when describing the gladiator type murmillo he delves into the two fan groups of scutarii and parmularii. Otherwise I think some of his theories interesting e.g. that the retiarius tunicatus was a Roman citizen from the upper classes and therefore wearing a tunica because it was disgracing enough to fight as a retiarius with barely any armor at all.
Anyhow, I nonetheless look forward to continuing reading this book.
Sometimes I think he zones out from the current topic, e.g. when describing the gladiator type murmillo he delves into the two fan groups of scutarii and parmularii. Otherwise I think some of his theories interesting e.g. that the retiarius tunicatus was a Roman citizen from the upper classes and therefore wearing a tunica because it was disgracing enough to fight as a retiarius with barely any armor at all.
Anyhow, I nonetheless look forward to continuing reading this book.
