Sheathed Weapons

[john m roberts]

Or rather the absence of them. Gladiator reenactors, particularly retiarii, often carry a dagger or short sword in a sheath. Yet I have never seen a depiction of a gladiator in any medium carrying a sheathed weapon. The retiarius is often shown awkwardly carrying his dagger in the same hand that holds the trident. The hoplomachus holds his reserve sword behind his shield. I've seen no depiction of how the equites transitioned from the lance to the sword, and assume that swords were just handed to them when they dismounted. I have come to believe that weapons were given to the gladiators after they entered the arena and had to surrender them before exiting. A possible exception to this is the depiction of what are probably bustuarii fighting with spears, armored but without helmets. One of the figures seems to have a sheathed sword or dagger at his waist. But this is a very early depiction, probably when the gladiators actually fought at the gravesite, and the rules of the arena had yet to be established. Does anyone know a a definite depiction of a sheathed weapon in a gladiatorial context?

[Olaf]

Actually as a Retiarius I can tell you that theres nothing awkward about carrying the dagger I your left hand while holding the trident (dont mind that I am fighting a Provocator there):

Actually its pretty handy because you can threaten the unshielded right side of the adversary with it if he gets to close.
The same holds true for the Hoplomachus as his Parmual seems to have been gripped similar to a Hoplite shield.

I cant remember an Eques being depicted with his secondary weapon while mounted, but there are only very few depictions of mounted Eques.

Recently I started to train as an Essedarius and there you have the same problem if these Gladiators truly started out with Javelins bevore switching to swords as a single Graphity from Pompeji suggests.
Some graphic reconstructions give them two javelins and a sword, but there is just no way to firmly hold a javelin and a sword behind a Scutum, while handling a javelin in the right hand.
Holding one or two javelins like you would hold Pila is no problem though.
The graphity curiously shows the javelin held behind the the Scutum like a Pilum and the sword in the right hand, but this way he would have to drop the sword to be able to throw the javelin.

[john m roberts]

Olaf,
Do you have the dagger attached with a wrist thong in case you have to drop it? It just seems to me that manipulating a dagger hilt and the shaft of a trident in one hand must be difficult, but then I've never tried it.

[garrelt]

The hilt of the dagger must be flat enough so that you still can grip the shaft.
The same combination can be used with a two handed spear.
If you want to have a thong securing the dagger, than this is up to you.
There is one fries which clearly shows a thong attached to a Gladius.
I know it is in Junkelmans book, Das spiel mit dem tod, but I don't have it at home for now.
It is a yellowish fries picture and shows Early gladiators.

Holding a secondary weapon, which is not in a sheath, behind your shield as a spare can be done as I do often.
Here also the hilt must be flat enough to fit snugly behind the shield.
If the weapon is completely concealed by the shield, your opponent will be very surprised when you grasp it.
The same as when you give your secondary weapon to someone in the arena and pick it up when you lose your shield and start fighting with 2 swords. :wink:

John you just have to get used to how carry 2 weapons in one hand and fight in this way.
Also I have not seen any picture of a gladiator with a scabbard.
If you have access to the book from Christian Miks
Studies on the Roman armament with swords in the Roman Imperial Period.
Part I - Text.
Part II - Catalogue and plates.
You will find flat hilts.

[Olaf]

You are completely right Garrelt.
The Trident staffs I have used so far are about 2,8-3cm in diameter and the dagger and word hilts of the Pompeji finds have a diameter of 2,5-2,8.
I dont have particularly big hands but I can comfartably grip both and change form a two handed to one handed grip with ease.
It is easier if you dont grip the leather thong of the padded "glove" at the end of the manica as some depictions show.
One trick that also helps with the two handed grip is locking the "crossbar" of the dagger with the staff of the trident, like I show in these posed shots that actually show the dagger held like in many depictions of Retiarii:


Here you can find a corresponding depiction:
[url:bqp85quz]http://www.flickr.com/photos/40060535@N05/galleries/72157623093765400/#photo_2976780310[/url]
And in this sparring video you see how difficult its is for a right handed opponent to close with me without exposing his unshielded side to a quick stab of the dagger:
[url:bqp85quz]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49hczv3V-uM[/url]

Garrelt is refering to this relief from Rome:
[url:bqp85quz]http://www.flickr.com/photos/40060535@N05/galleries/72157623093765400/#photo_294384955[/url]
Here the Murmillo on the right is shown having his Gladius hanging down by a thong.
As a Retiarius would have to quickly change the dagger to his right hand in the event of loosing the Trident, just like a Hoplomachus would have to, once he has dropped his Hasta, I dont think that it would make sense for these types to secure the weapon this way.

Still the Essedarius is an exception as he would have to hold a javelin behind his curved oval scutum together with a short Gladiator sword.
The suctum has a horizontal grip and a horizontal curve, so both the javelin and sword would have to be held verticaly together, like the pilum shaft of a legionary.
I can easily fix one javelin with my thump against the shield backing, like legionarys do with their second pilum, but I could not hold a sword together with that.
Holding sword and javelin together in the right hand would of course make it impossible to actually throw the javelin without also letting go of the sword.

[Medusa Gladiatrix]

We do it the same way that those types who have a secondary weapon (dagger) i.e. retiarius and hoplomachus hold the dagger in their left hand which is either the hand holding the trident in the case of the retiarius or the hand holding the shield in case of the hoplomachus. This is also the way it is shown on the depictions of these types.

[garrelt]

I've got my book back.

These pictures com from :
Marcus Junkelmann
Gladiatoren, Das spiel mit dem tod.
Page 54, picture67, dated 1st century BC, found in Tiber west from Rome.