The gladiatorial fight was the only entertainment that the unfortunate citizens of the Roman Empire had in their lives, so these mercenaries became little more than heroes for the whole mob. The most acclaimed They would come to be in our times like a rock star or a famous footballer. They duel between them and fought against animals or death row, so that all the spectators of the Coliseum they were assured equal blood and violence . There were several types of gladiators in Ancient Rome and here we will analyze which were the most brutal.
These elite fighters were formed in specialized schools to learn all the combat techniques that subsequently delighted the public. This training center class was brutal and the future gladiators had to be willing to almost everything. According to several experts, this custom of fights between people as divertimento comes from the Etruscans. Each of these types of gladiators was prepared against a certain class of them , that is to say, they could not fight all against all without any rule, since the armaments of each one were thought for the characteristics of their opponent and vice versa. If you want to know the different kinds of gladiators that existed, this article is made for you.
4 types of Gladiators | The most brutal of the Colosseum
1. Thracians
2. Murmillos
These gladiators were inspired by the Gallic prisoners to make their uniform. They carried one of the most famous weapons in the world of gladiators, precisely the one that gave them their name, since this was called gladius . It was short and perfect for the hand-to-hand combat they practiced. His shield was also rectangular like that of the Thracians, but much larger and curved. They completed their equipment with a short tunic and a wide belt, as well as a helmet with a high crest in the shape of a fish from which its curious name emerges. The gladiators faced by the murmillos were usually the Thracians, the reciarios or the Hoplomachus who imitated the clothes of the Greek hóplitas.
3. Reciario
The most outstanding differential characteristic of the reciarios between the types of Roman gladiators is the network that they carried to catch their adversaries. The rest of his weapons could be a trident and a short dagger. They were among the least protected because their tunic used to be very light, at best they wore a bracelet and a protector that completely covered their shoulders . Due to its limited equipment, it was a kind of gladiator of the lowest among all and also used to fight against others strongly protected by what many of them used to die.
4. Secutor
Just at the other end of those previously described, the secutor was the most equipped and protected gladiator of all those who made up the fights in the coliseums. They were armed with a short sword like the ones we have mentioned previously, a shield very similar to that of the Roman legions, a spherical helmet and practically complete armor. His most common adversary was the retiarius, on this he had the advantage that there were few elements that the network could grab. Nevertheless, the weak part of this type of gladiator was precisely that all the protection they were wearing was very heavy . They could carry about twenty kilos, so the mercenaries who faced the secutor, were dedicated to move it from one place to another, as well as quickly tired.
As you may have noticed after reading this article about the types of gladiators existing in Ancient Rome, the shows that took place in the Coliseum they were of paramount importance to the inhabitants of the entire Empire. Did you know that for a certain time there gladiator women ?
Now we would like to know your opinion about these fighters who left their lives in the sands of Roman circuses. Which of these types of gladiators do you think are the favorites to win a fight? Did you think there were so many kinds of fighters in Ancient Rome? What do you think about the fights between gladiators, do you think it's a real savagery or do you think it was normal for the time? As always, we are looking forward to reading all your comments as it is the part we most appreciate and the one that makes us grow. Go ahead and do them!