Top Three Gladiators that Fought in Ancient Rome
In ancient times before TV or technology the people of Ancient Rome would watch men fight to the death. Three gladiators from that time include the Retiarius, the Hoplomachi and the Bestiarii. The Retiarius meaning net fighter was one of the most popular fighters. The Hoplomachi was a gladiator based off of Greek warriors, and used to tell romans of their war with the Greeks. Bestiarii were gladiators who fought against wild animals, this was a form of execution. Gladiators were one of the first forms of fighting entertainment, and it is still around today with professional fighting.
The Retiarius gladiator was always a tough opponent to beat because of their weapons and the way they fought. The Retiarius’ first attack would be to throw the net over their opponent, then finish them off with a quick attack from the trident (Famous Wonders 2011). Or the Retiarius would throw their net at their opponent’s weapons and pull them away leaving them defenseless (Wikipedia 2013). If the net and trident both got knocked out of the gladiator’s hands, he still had a dagger to defend himself with. The net was difficult to escape because the challenger kept tripping over the net. As the challenger was occupied with trying to escape the net the Retiarius would attack. The net and trident was their primary weapon combo giving the Retiarius a reach advantage, and the dagger was used as a secondary weapon in case the net and trident were knocked away or unusable. For armor the Retiarius wore “a loincloth, which was held in place by a wide belt, and an arm guard called a manica, which extended to the shoulder and left side of the chest” (Famous Wonders 2011). The lack of armor gave the Retiarius more mobility and agility. Their opponents were usually heavy, slower moving so the Retiarius could quickly dodge their attacks then counter them. The Retiarius “generally fought Secutores and sometimes Mirmillones” (Famous Wonders 2011). Because of the limited armor they had the Retiarius “avoided his opponent’s attacks waiting for the opportunity to strike” (Wikipedia 2013). The Retiarius were the top gladiators because of their wits and their ability to quickly dodge and counter their opponents. This shows that the Retiarius has great patience in battle.
In ancient times before TV or technology the people of Ancient Rome would watch men fight to the death. Three gladiators from that time include the Retiarius, the Hoplomachi and the Bestiarii. The Retiarius meaning net fighter was one of the most popular fighters. The Hoplomachi was a gladiator based off of Greek warriors, and used to tell romans of their war with the Greeks. Bestiarii were gladiators who fought against wild animals, this was a form of execution. Gladiators were one of the first forms of fighting entertainment, and it is still around today with professional fighting.
The Retiarius gladiator was always a tough opponent to beat because of their weapons and the way they fought. The Retiarius’ first attack would be to throw the net over their opponent, then finish them off with a quick attack from the trident (Famous Wonders 2011). Or the Retiarius would throw their net at their opponent’s weapons and pull them away leaving them defenseless (Wikipedia 2013). If the net and trident both got knocked out of the gladiator’s hands, he still had a dagger to defend himself with. The net was difficult to escape because the challenger kept tripping over the net. As the challenger was occupied with trying to escape the net the Retiarius would attack. The net and trident was their primary weapon combo giving the Retiarius a reach advantage, and the dagger was used as a secondary weapon in case the net and trident were knocked away or unusable. For armor the Retiarius wore “a loincloth, which was held in place by a wide belt, and an arm guard called a manica, which extended to the shoulder and left side of the chest” (Famous Wonders 2011). The lack of armor gave the Retiarius more mobility and agility. Their opponents were usually heavy, slower moving so the Retiarius could quickly dodge their attacks then counter them. The Retiarius “generally fought Secutores and sometimes Mirmillones” (Famous Wonders 2011). Because of the limited armor they had the Retiarius “avoided his opponent’s attacks waiting for the opportunity to strike” (Wikipedia 2013). The Retiarius were the top gladiators because of their wits and their ability to quickly dodge and counter their opponents. This shows that the Retiarius has great patience in battle.
The Hoplomachi gladiator was heavily armored to represent a Greek Hoplite. The Hoplomachi “fought with a gladius which was 27 inches long. This sword was for thrusting and parrying. They also carried a lance that was six feet long” (Famous Wonders 2011). The Hoplomachi resembles a Greek warrior so their weapons were used how the Greeks would use them. The lance would have been used for keeping opponents back and giving the Hoplomachi and offensive advantage, while the gladius was used when the gladiators were closer to each other. The Hoplomachi was a heavily armored gladiator, “They wore a galea visor helmet with a heavy crest ridge. The right is protected by a manica of tied leather; while the lower left foot was protected by a metal greave” (Famous Wonders 2011). This armor was worn to resemble a Greek hoplite. The Hoplomachi was a slower moving gladiator because of all the armor they wore. But they wore all that armor to honor the Greeks because Rome came after Greece but the Romans vied things differently than the Greeks did (eg: Believed in the same gods but
gave them different names). Because the Hoplomachi had so much armor they fought opponents who were equally armored, “Murmillones often fought Hoplomachi” (Famous Wonders 2011). Since the Hoplomachi was based off of the Greek hoplite
their fights were “re-enactments of Rome’s war in Greece and the Hellenistic” (Wikipedia 2013). Fighting similar armored gladiators made a fair fight. The Hoplomachi’s fights were used to tell a story or the history of the war between Rome and Greece to inform viewers of how Rome got to where it was.
gave them different names). Because the Hoplomachi had so much armor they fought opponents who were equally armored, “Murmillones often fought Hoplomachi” (Famous Wonders 2011). Since the Hoplomachi was based off of the Greek hoplite
their fights were “re-enactments of Rome’s war in Greece and the Hellenistic” (Wikipedia 2013). Fighting similar armored gladiators made a fair fight. The Hoplomachi’s fights were used to tell a story or the history of the war between Rome and Greece to inform viewers of how Rome got to where it was.
One of the most known gladiators to this day would be the Bestiarii gladiator, or the gladiator that fought against wild animals. To this day we still have people that practice what the Bestiarii gladiators
did, like those people in the circus that tame lions and tigers. These Gladiators usually didn’t have very good weapons, “weapons used by these gladiators included a spear, a knife, and occasionally a whip” (Famous Wonders 2011). The Bestiarii’s weapons weren't as good as other weapons used by different gladiators, so they could probably break easier. The spear was used to keep the animals back and the knife was used in case the animal got too close. The armor they wore wasn't very much, “the gladiators wore a visor helmet called a galea, which wad decorated with crests, and basic leather leg and arms wraps” (FamousWonders 2011). The Bestiarii armor wasn't very good but it allowed them to move around more and be faster. Unfortunately for these gladiators the animals they fought were quick,agile so with the armor they had they didn't have a chance. Being a Bestiarii gladiator usually meant you were a criminal or a prisoner and your punishment was getting thrown to the wild beasts (Famous Wonders 2011). “The opponents were leopards, loins, and tigers” (Famous Wonders 2011). Being a Bestiarii gladiator was a form of punishment, so even if the gladiator managed to kill the animal, he would go back into the area the next day and fight another animal.
The three gladiators compared here were the Retiarius, the Hoplomachi and the Bestiarii. These gladiators were compared to find out who was more popular, smarter, faster or stronger. People would like this because it shows the reader what people watched for entertainment in ancient times, before TV or technology came along. This also shows the reader that a form of gladiator culture has continued through the years, even to this day with professional fighting. In the opinion of the researcher the Retiarius is the best gladiator because they use their net as a distraction then stabed their opponents with the trident.
References
Education portal. (2013). The Ancient Roman Gladiators: History, Types & Facts. Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-ancient-roman- gladiators-history-types-facts.html
Famous Wonders. (2011). Gladiator types and their weapons. Retrieved from http://famouswonders.com/types-of-gladiators/
Hoplomachi. (2013). Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplomachus
Retiarius. (2013). Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retiarius
Valsecchi, M. C. (2007). Ancient Gladiator Mosaic Found in Roman Villa. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070507-gladiator-picture.html
References
Education portal. (2013). The Ancient Roman Gladiators: History, Types & Facts. Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-ancient-roman- gladiators-history-types-facts.html
Famous Wonders. (2011). Gladiator types and their weapons. Retrieved from http://famouswonders.com/types-of-gladiators/
Hoplomachi. (2013). Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplomachus
Retiarius. (2013). Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retiarius
Valsecchi, M. C. (2007). Ancient Gladiator Mosaic Found in Roman Villa. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070507-gladiator-picture.html