Update on the Spatha and Gladius fighting techniques!

[Bryan]

These are the Essedarii i mentioned above,
In republican times they fought with flat oval thureos type shields and Port type helmets, and were probably still called Gallus by then. Later we see them with these egg shaped helmets, similar to the Secutor helmet but without the crest and with feather holders on each side.
They do not wear greaves and sometimes fight with swords that have the point squared of, supposedly to enforce a more slashing style of fighting.
In the mosaic both have the shields to the left of each other maybe even in light contact, to "feel" each others movement, both have the swords raised with a a bent elbow indicating a more cutting style of fighting.

The Scutum curved on one side, either top or bottom, is sometimes shown used by Secutores. It helps in letting the trident slide away if the Retiarius tries to hook it behind the Scutum.
This seems to be a special adaption for this pairing though and I doubt it had significance for the military.

Provocatores can be seen at the right on this band of the mosaic. The Zliten moasic is the only depiction of them having a feathered crest, but otherwise they show all the gear of Provocatores, i.e. shorter square Scuti,breast plates, knee length greave for the front leg, as well as a padded thigh on the front leg as well.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Doesn't essedarii mean gladiators fighting from chariots (essedum=chariot)? Why would those gladiator types in the mosaic, fighting on foot with large oval curved scuta with short swords, be classified as charioteers by those studying the mosaic? Was there some notes or something included in the original mosaic that identified them as dismounted charioteers?

[Olaf]

First, there are no textual or iconographical sources that any Gladiators ever fought from a chariot.
While Eques would start a fight on horseback, a chariot needs a second person to drive, if you want to fight from it, which then would not be a single combat anymore.
Junkelmann has identified the Gladiator type wearing a smooth round helmet and oval shield as Essedarii. There is a 2nd/3rd century gravestone from Mylasa of the Gladiator Chrysopetasos stating his Armatura as Essedarius. He is shown on foot with the oval Scutum and smooth helmet but since the Scutum of later Essedarii seems to have become shorter, they are also wearing one or two short greaves.
Junkelmann assumes that maybe Essedarii did at first enter the Amphitheater on a chariot, but dismounted to fight. It is likely however that the Essedarii were just renamed from Gallus once the Gauls were an integral part of the empire. The same did happen to the Samnite Armatura, though for some reason the Thraex kept his ethnological name..

[john m roberts]

This type is usually depicted as holding the sword almost upright, and it has no point and is often squared-off. This suggests to me that it was wielded in short chops, rather like a short machete. This would meet the Roman's expectation that the "Gaul" fought with a slashing sword. It was very limiting and may be the reason that this type fought only another of the same type.

[Bryan]

This type is usually depicted as holding the sword almost upright, and it has no point and is often squared-off. This suggests to me that it was wielded in short chops, rather like a short machete. This would meet the Roman's expectation that the "Gaul" fought with a slashing sword. It was very limiting and may be the reason that this type fought only another of the same type.

Didn't the late La tene slashing swords used by the Gauls have blade lengths of more than 36"/91 cm? Those in the mosaics look the same short gladius types used by the other gladiators with just a rounded tip. Is there any iconography relating to the actual Gallus gladiator?

My understanding, which partially reiterates what Olaf has written, and please correct me if I am wrong, was that the fighting style and armament of the original "Samnite" gladiator stayed the same but the name was changed to "Gallus" because the Samnites became Roman allies, while the Gauls were primarily still adversaries. Later, as the Gauls started allying themselves with Rome or became outright Roman citizens, the name was changed again, possibly to Murmillo, Provocator, or Essedarius, depending on whom you ask. But the style remained the same and it basically mimicked the Roman/Latin/Italy soldier until the mid-late 1st cent. AD, when the scutarii gladiator kit became substantially different in terms of a much larger and more protective helmet, more limb protection, less or no torso protection, and a much shorter sword, almost dagger length. I also read that the gladiator's panoply was designed to prolong the bouts and forced the gladiator to use a more dramatic and aggressive style of fighting, as the most common targets in a real fight, the face and limbs, were protected, while the torso, usually protected by armor in the case of a soldier, were often left bare. Is this reasonable or poor speculation? (Source of info: Gladiator: The Complete Guide to Ancient Rome's Bloody Fighters, Konstantin Nossov)

Here is an interesting youtube video about Gallic sword and shield fighting (in French):
Armement celtique de La Tène

[Olaf]

First, here are a few depictions of early Essedarii (probably called Gallus at this time):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetar...60535@N05/ (in the original relief the Gladius with squared of tip and two fullers on the blade is clearly visible)
http://www.gendergeschiedenis.nl/icons/d...adiat2.jpg
http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Comp...id-4x2.jpg
Two graffiti showing Gladiators with oval shields also show them wielding what seems top be javelins, so this here might actually show the panoply of two Essedarii/Galli (note the oval shapes at the bottom, that resemble Scuti with Spinae:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]
It seems early depictions of Essedarii/Galli show them with pointed swords more often, but in later depiction the clipped point is more often shown, like in this eastern imperial 2nd/3rd century mosaic from Kourion:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

The Samnes/Samnite was more likely the origin of the Provocator Armatura, both sharing the squared Samnite Scutum and the single greave on the leading leg. The Provocator even wearing the characteristic pectoral plate.

[Bryan]

...
The Samnes/Samnite was more likely the origin of the Provocator Armatura, both sharing the squared Samnite Scutum and the single greave on the leading leg. The Provocator even wearing the characteristic pectoral plate.

What squared Samnite scutum are you referring to? Iconography?

[john m roberts]

The original Galli probably did wield the la tene style longsword. Olaf linked (2nd picture) to a relief from Illyria that shows a very early Gallus. Osprey Men-At-Arms 291, "Republican Roman Army 100-104 BC" has a much clearer picture of it on p.24. From the position of the hand and that of the squared-off tip it seems to be about the dimensions of a Gallic longsword. He also seems to be wearing a cloth cover over his helmet and a half-developed visor. In Republican times this type looked very Gallic: Long, flat oval shield with spina, plain, round-topped helmet, and no body or leg armor. The Romans added the short, elbow-length manica. As time progressed and the Augustan reforms came in, the sword shortened (on all types of gladiator) until they were little more than daggers. The helm acquired a full-face visor, and the manica grew to the shoulder. The shield remained oval, but got much larger and became curved almost like a Republican scutum. Later generations of Romans probably still thought of this gear as "Gallic," just as they thought of the Thraex as "Thracian" and the hoplomachus as "Greek," though these types no longer bore much resemblance to the original ethnic fighters and their gear.

Another problem we have is the scantiness of the written evidence, though pictorial evidence is abundant. We can be pretty sure how some of the names corresponded to some of the armaturae: the retiarius and secutor are clear. Same with the Thraex and Murmillo (though the secutor is just a murmillo with a different helmet). The equites is certain because he is on horseback (though he also fights on foot). Others are not as clear, such as the Galli, Essedarii, velites and provocatores. Plus, gladiators fought at Rome for almost 700 years and the terminology changed over that huge time. The Samnite is mysterious and we do not hear of him after Augustan times. I suspect that the Murmillo is this type under a later name, but this is just my guess. In the east, the pairings and arms were often somewhat different - you sometimes see reliefs showing, for instance, a provocator wearing two short greaves and fighting a Thraex. Here we are reduced to educated guesses. I call this oval-shielded gladiator with the pointless cutting sword a Galli because, in the earliest representations, his gear is clearly Gallic.