Gladiators: Types and Fighting Styles

The more I research Roman Gladiators, the more certain I become that the film “Gladiator” might defeat Braveheart as the most historically inaccurate movie of all time.

Gladiator movie was bad at all the things that count- bad history, bad characterization, and most importantly, bad costuming. Gladiators weren’t just dudes with swords trying to murder each other – gladiating was a sport with disturbing parallels to many pro sports today, complete with fame, brand sponsorship, and roughly standard uniforms. Among the gladiators in the late first century CE, you would find..

Hoplomachus – This fighter wielded a long spear and circular shield, ostensibly mimicking the hoplite, or Greek phalanx soldier. They carried a long dagger on their hip as a backup and wore a helm decorated with an attic crest as well as armored greaves to protect their shins and calves.

Thraex – Also called a Thracian, this gladiator was meant as a cipher of the Thracian people, eastern enemies of Rome. They fought with a square or circular shield, curved blade (meant to mimic the curved blades of Thrace) and a dagger. They sometimes wore heavy greaves but may have gone without them for the sake of speed and agility.

Murmillo – This gladiator was almost certainly a projection of the Roman Legionnaire, wielding their same heavy curved rectangle shield and gladius. They also wore heavy greaves on their legs and were most likely large, muscular fighters who used their size to bully and intimidate their foes.

Retiarius – This lightly armored combatant wore no helmet and no greaves and was armed with a net, dagger, and trident. There is some evidence that these fighters weren’t respected by audiences because so much of their tactics involved evasion, which would seem like cowardice to the people of antiquity.

Secutor – Its name is latin for “pursuer” so it’s believed that these warriors were created specifically to chase down other gladiators – specifically the above-mentioned retiarii. They were armed with a gladius, a small square or circular shield, and a dagger. Their helmets are very unique.

Also, any of these gladiator types could be women, or gladiatrices. Though there is no absolute agreement on the nature of the average Gladiatrix (whether they were respected or scorned by the crowd, whether they fought dwarfs for a laugh or fought legitimate death matches), the general historical consensus at the moment is that they most likely fought against other female gladiators, used the same gear and adopted the same fighting styles as the men.