Thraex and Hoplomachus

Thraex: The thraex (or Thracian) gladiator appears to have been introduced to the arena around the time of the Mithridates Wars, during which a great many Thracians were taken prisoner. The thraex was armored with manica on his sword arm, protective leg wrappings, high greaves on both legs, a small rectangular shield and a large rimmed helmet with a feathered crest.  His weapon was a short curved dagger, which meant he had to get very close to his opponent in order to attack him.  The thraex was usually paired against the myrmillo, a gladiator type who was armored with a gladius infantry sword and protected with a legionary type scutum shield.  In this way, the gladiator match between the thraex and myrmillo might have mimicked a fight between a legionary and one of the enemies of Rome.  Comparing the arms and armor of the two gladiators, it appears this was a match-up the thraex was meant to lose!

Hoplomachus:  While the thraex was meant to represent Thracians in combat, the hoplomachus was meant to represent a Greek hoplite. He was armored with manica on his primary arm, quilted trousers, high greaves on both legs, a small round shield and a large rimmed helmet adorned with feathers.  His weapon was a spear and a dagger.   The  hoplomachus was usually paired against the myrmillo but some mosaics portray this gladiator type fighting a thraex.  If I've learned anything from hours of playing Demons Souls and Dark Souls on my PS3, it's that a spear armed opponent has a substantial advantage over an opponent armed only with a curved dagger.

One more week of gladiators and then the big reveal for my next Impetus army project.

Secutor and Scissor

Secutor:  The secutor was commonly paired up in combat with the retiarius.  The secutor was equipped with a helmet, a large rectangular shield, a grieve on one leg, a manica on his sword arm and a gladius sword.  His helmet's streamlined shape, small eyeholes, and fin-like crest served two purposes. First, it gave the impression of the head of the fish as part of the fisherman-fish aspect of the retiarius-secutor match. Second and more importantly, the eyeholes were very small to prevent the trident from piercing them and the helmet lacked a brim or ornamentation to prevent the retiarius' trident or weighted net from catching on it.

In combat, the secutor attempted to close with the retiarius and engage in close combat using his large shield for protection. The retiarius would try to avoid close combat.  The secutor could not match the retiarius' speed or mobility due to his much heavier armor.  Furthermore, his tight helmet with small eyeholes limited his vision and hearing.  Even worse, with no hole for breathing, the secutor would become winded and tire much sooner than his opponent.

The first figure below projects a murderous attitude, which is probably typical for gladiators.  And I was happy with the way the shield turned out for the gentleman with his sword raised in the air.  Enjoy the small successes!

Scissor:  When I first saw this miniature, I assumed it was an invention of someone's imagination because it looked so odd.  In fact, this gladiator type appears in reliefs from the Eastern Roman empire. The images reflect that a scissor was equipped with a helmet, scale armor or mail covering his body almost to the knees, a manica arm-guard on his sword arm and grieves on both legs.  The oddest feature is the armored forearm that ended in a wicked crescent shaped blade.  Since this gladiator had no shield, he relied on his blade to cut through a net or ward off a trident.  This gladiator type was one of the most heavily armored of all gladiators.

If I was paired up with this guy, I'd first pinch myself to wake up from a nightmare and if that didn't work, I'd run around and around the arena till he collapsed from heatstroke.

And in case you haven't tripped over one of my many listings, I have my Gallic army up for sale under the "For Sale" tab at the top of the home page.   

Retiarius and Laquerarius

Retiarius: Retiarius gladiators were styled after a fisherman and their "fish," so to speak, was the Secutor gladiator. The retiarius-secutor pairing was one of the best loved matchups in the arena. The retiarius went into combat armed with a trident, a dagger and a weighted net. They were the most lightly armored of the gladiators, typically wearing only an arm guard (manica), a shoulder guard of bronze (galerus) and a loincloth. The galerus protected the neck and most of the head from lateral blows. The retiarius made up for his lack of armor with speed and agility to avoid attacks and wait for the opportunity to strike. The retiarius first tried to throw his net over his opponent to ensnare him or his weapon. If successful, he'd move in for the kill. Mostly, the net would miss and the retiarius would switch to using the trident with two hands. The trident permitted the gladiator to jab and keep his opponent at a distance. The retiarius would also try to to catch his adversaries blade between the points of his weapon or press the edges of his opponent's shield. With it's long reach, the retiarius often targeted his opponent's legs with the trident.

The first figure up is my favorite. Romans loved the foreign and exotic.  Amongst the hundreds of thousands of prisoners in the Empire, there were bound to be tattooed Celts. I'm certain the crowd would have gone mad seeing a tattooed gladiator in the area.

Laquerarius: Little is known about this gladiator type except that he was equipped with a lasso and spear.  They appeared late in the gladiator games and there is speculation that the use of the lasso was reflective of a barbarian tribe that used the lasso in combat. Perhaps he was the prototype cowboy!  We'll call him "The Gladiator with No Name" and exit with Ennio Morricone's theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."