Bakalarska_prace_-_Lukas_Kratochvil

3.2.A.2. Thraex’s/hoplomachus’s greaves subtype Pompeii B5 and B6

Location: France. Paris, Musée du Louvre.

Inventory no.: 1169 and 1170.

Material: Bronze.

Measures: Height: 57.5 cm (the higher one); width: 21.5 cm.

State of preservation: Good.

Provenance: Pompeii, Quadriporticus of the Theatre (gladiator’s barracks).

Dating: Second quarter of the 1st century AD.

Description: Pair of bronze high greaves. In the term of design it is identical to types B3 and B4. Differences can be seen in the decoration. On the left part of the upper third of each greave there is a male, bearded frontal head, with a high anastolé over the forehead (Pan?), inside a square frame. Opposite to it, there are two superimposed masks of a Silenus and a Maenad in profile view to their right, with a thyrsus behind them. In the areas of kneecaps there is a frontal head of Medusa, so-called “beutyful tipe”, with her eyes open and a pair of winglets in the hair over the forehead. On the upper part of the left greave (inv. no. 1169) there is the hallmark AM, originally probably PPAM; in the centre of there upper part, beneath the upper edge, there is the mark MC (probably MCP: see below); in the knee area there is the mark NCA. On the right greave (inv. no. 1170), on the front side of the thigh there is there the mark MCP; on the left there is NCA, on the right there is PPAM.

Bibliography: De Ridder 1915, p. 8, nos 1169 and 1170, pl. 67; Baratte 1987, p. 124-125, no. 23; Bettinali-Graeber 1988/1999, p. 83-86, no.13 a-b.

Fig. 3.2.A.2.1. Thraex’s/hoplomachus’s greaves type Pompeii B5 and B6

(after: http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=20619& langue=fr ; last visit: 27. 06. 2012)

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Fig. 3.2.A.2.2 Detail of the vault line and bearded head on inv. no. 1170 (photograph by the Author)

Fig. 3.2.A.2.3. Detail of the vault line and bearded head on inv. no. 1169 (photograph by the Author)

Fig. 3.2.A.2.4. Detail of the Medusa’s head on the kneecap area of inv. no. 1169 (photograph by the Author)

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3.2.A.3. Thraex’s/hoplomachus’s greaves subtype Pompeii B9 and B10

Location: Italy. Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

Inventory no.: B9 5665, B10 5668.

Material: Bronze.

Measures: B9 Height: 55 cm; width: 20 cm; thickness of the bronze plate: 1.13 mm, with

rim: 4.85 mm. Weight 2200 g. B10 Height: 55 cm; width: 19 cm; thickness of the bronze

plate: 1.13 mm, with rim: 4.85 mm. Weight 2200 g.

State of preservation: Good.

Provenance: Pompeii, Quadriporticus of the Theatre (gladiators’ barracks).

Dating: Second quarter of the 1st century AD.

Description: B9. On the upper part, there is garland made of laurel and oak leaves. In the knee area there is a table with three Bacchic masks; leaning against the table there are a club (on the left) and shepherd staff (on he right). Under these, on both sides of the greave, there is a vegetal scroll. Under the knee, in the centre of the greave, there is a gabled line and, under it, an eagle with widespread wings fighting against a serpent. On the lowest register there are five Bacchic masks: Three of them lay on a basket with lid, known as cista mystica of Bacchus; while on each side of this composition there is another Bacchich mask against a neutral background. On the side rims of the greave there are three pairs of rings. Next to one of the highest ring there is the mark NER, while on the upper part of the thigh there is a large hallmark MCP.

B10. The second greave is very similar to the previous, but it shows differences in decoration and shape. In the upper part there are two laurel branches, with a decorative round shield between their tops. On the knee there is a mask of young Bacchus on a cista mystica. Beneath, there are the head of a Faunus on the left side, and the mask of a Satyr on the right side, both on a cista mystica. Between each of the masks and the head of young Bacchus, there is a thyrsus. Under the gabled line there is an eagle hunting a rabbit. Beneath there is an acanthus scroll. On each side of the greave there are three pairs of rings. In the upper part of it there is a large hallmark MCP (cf. B9).

It is not certain that greaves B9 and B10 belonged to the same pair, because of the differences in their decoration, style and shape. Moreover, they do not share the same hallmarks, differently from all the other greaves.

Bibliography: Quaranta 1831; Fiorelli 1869, p. 20, no. 301; Bettinali-Graeber 1988/1999, p. 65-70, no. 10a, p. 71-75, no. 10b; La Rocca 2001, p. ***; Il gladiatore / The gladiator 2008, p. 37.

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Figs 3.2.A.3.1-2. On the left, the greave inv. no. B9 5665 (front view); on the right, the greave inv. no. B10 5668 B10 (right side view) (after: La Regina 2001)

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3.2.A.4. Thraex’s/hoplomachus’s greaves subtype Pompeii B7 and B8

Location: Italy. Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

Inventory no.: 5666, 5667.

Material: Bronze.

Measures: Height: 54 cm; inner diameter: 90.8-128.8 cm; depth 14,8 cm. Thickness of the

bronze plate: 1.62 mm, with rim: 4.78 mm. Weight: respectively, 2300 and 2500 g.

State of preservation: Good.

Provenance: Pompeii, Quadriporticus of the Theatre (gladiators’ barracks).

Dating: Second quarter of the first century AD.

Description: Pair of richly decorated bronze graves. The decoration is identical on both greaves: the only difference is that the mask of Silenus in the upper part and the stork in the lower part are specularly inverted. In the upper part a mask of Silenus, lying on a cista mystica, is depicted in profile; at each side there is thyrsus with long ribbons. Lower, in the same register, there are two young Bacchus’ masks on a cista mystica (one on each side), in prifle towards the centre of the greave, and a tree beneath them. In the knee area there are two crossed cornucopias. In the following register, beneath a richly decorated gabled line, there are three embossed Bacchic masks on a panther skin. In the lowest register there is a stork (or heron) with open wings, holding a snake in its beak. On the sides of each greave there are four pairs of rings and on the upper edge there is the already seen hallmark MPC.

Bibliography: Caterion 1827; Fiorelli 1869, p. 21, no. 313-314, Bettinali-Graeber 1988/1999, p. 76-81, no. 11a-b; La Regina 2001, p. 389.

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Fig. 3.2.A.4.1. View of the front side decoration of inv no. 5666 (on the left) and of the left side decoration of inv. no. 5667 (on the right) (after: La Regina 2001)

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3.3Manica (“Arm-guard”)

The manica is the part of the armour covering the fighter’s arm. It probably developed from the Hellenistic boxing glove called caestus45. At first, it protected only a short part of the arm, from the wrist to the elbow; later it was elongated up to the shoulder. We can find a few kinds of manica on depictions: unfortunately original finds has not been preserved. It is because of the organic material used for the making of most parts of the manica: usually made of quilted cloth or leather. The fastening of the manica was by leather straps over the shoulder and around the chest (Fig. 5a). Another possibility to put it on the arm can be seen on the funerary relief of Lusius Storax46: broad cloth or leather thongs overlapped on the arm. A case apart are the crossed thongs. Another option, used during the 1st and the 2nd century AD, were metal manicae (scale or laminar). Laminar arm-guards was used for the first time by the army of Emperor Trajan in the First and Second Dacian Wars (AD 101-102 and 105-106). These laminar arm-guards should provide protection against the Dacian weapons called falx47. According to the only preserved legionnaire manica, found in Britannia, we can guess the function and construction of the segmented manica (Fig. 5b). From the 2nd century onwards, the scale arm-guard became favored. It is depicted, e.g., in the fragmentary mosaic at Villa Borghese48. The function and reconstruction of the manica are described here below in Chapter 5.4.

Fig. 5a. Systém of manica fastening by leather strap. (after: Wilson S. Gladiators 100 BC – AD 200 Osprey 2001)

Fig. 5b. Remains of metal manica segents from Newstead excavationin Britain (after: Wilson S. Gladiators 100 BC – AD 200 Osprey 2001)

45Nossov 2009, p. 90.

46Entry 4.1.1.

47The Dacian falx existed in two sizes: one-handed and two-handed. The shorter variant was called sica.

48Entry 4.2.5.

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3.4Weapons

It was quite common that in the Republican period war prisoners used their own weapons or armours while entering the arena as gladiators49. Sica sword was, according to the opinion of Roman people, the typical weapon for gladiator thraex. It is a single-handed dagger with a curved blade. There are not so many preserved gladiatorial weapons, and no direct find of gladiatorial sica. In the ludus50 the gladiators did not train with sharp weapons most of the time, but instead of them wooden swords (rudes) were used. A training dagger sica has been found in the legionnaire camp in Oberaden in Northern Germany, dated to the 1st century BC (Fig. 6c). Most of original finds of military sicae come from sites in Romania. The information about the shape of the blade of the gladiatorial sica comes from mosaics and grave reliefs. Until the first half of the 1st century AD the blade was evenly curved along its length (Fig. 6a), while later types were with sharply angled blade (Fig. 6b). The wooden blade from Oberaden is 30.5 cm long and its total length was 46.5 cm (Fig. 6c). Yet, in the same period, iron-bladed sicae were much more longer: we estimate the length of their blades in 45 cm. The use of such curvature is described below in Chapter 5.6.

Fig. 6a. Detail of the oil lamp decoratin thraexholding sica with evenly curved blade, Köln, Römisch-Germanisches Museum, (after: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40060535@N05/4300079154/i

49E.g., the samnis gladiator was typical by his armour.

50Place where gladiators lived and trained.

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Fig. 6b. Bronze statue of the thraex holdning sharply	Fig. 6c. Reconstruction of wooden blade
angled sica and parmula with horizontal grip,	from Oberaden (after Nossov, Konstantin.
Hannover , Kestner-Museum (after: Junkelmann M.	Gladiator. Rome’s Bloody Spectacle
Das Spiel mit der Todt – So kämpften Roms	2009)
Gladiatoren 2000)

3.5 Parmula (“Shield”)

According to the size, of their shields, gladiators felt into three groups, that is large-, middlelargeand small-shielded51.

Thraex and hoplomachus belong to the group of small-shielded gladiators. The thraex used a small quadrangular shield (parmula) measuring about 60 x 60 cm. Such shield had a convex surface for providing a better protection. Because of the organic materials of which these shields were made, none has survived. Nonetheless, there are iconographic sources, in particular bronze statuettes, which inform us about them.

The exact construction of the parmula can be deduced from the way in which the large shield (scutum) was constructied. On the contrary, some hoplomachus’ parmula has been completely preserved because it was made of bronze. Its shape could be various as it is discussed below in Chapter 5.7, but mostly it should have been suggestive of a miniature of

51 Junkelmann 2000, p. 76 -81.

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the Greek shield aspis. Originals from excavations are of a type similar to those reproduced on statuettes depicting hoplomachi (see above, Fig. 2), but also the hoplomachus is often represented with a very convex shield, for example in the mosaic from the Roman villa at Zliten52. Unfortunately, no similar exemplar has been preserved.

Finally, it is noteworthy to mention that there were admirers of particular shield categories. The supporters of small shields were called parmularii, while the supporters of large shields were called scutarii53. To the function and use of shields is paid attention in Chapter 5.

4 . The Iconographic Sources

The iconographical sources are the most valuable sources of information about gladiators, next after the original finds. Gladiatorial topic can be observed in roman art, mostly on mosaics, stone reliefs, paintings and commonly used pottery, e.g terra sigillata54, oil lamps, cups. Often are also found small bronze, bone or ivory statuettes which depict gladiators in various positions – winner in winning position and surrender in gesture with raised finger. Information about fight results can be seen on mosaics, reliefs and paintings. Letter “V” indicated winner and was a shortcut for viciit. “M” meAnt missus – reprieved gladiator. “P” by word periit – killed or “Q” by word quanatoz or Gracian Θ théta which meAnt death.

There are also shortcuts “ST. M” – stans missus, this meant ending of fight by tie and both fighters left arena alive. Or “M.P”- missus periit, for reprieved gladiator, who finaly succumbed to his injuries55 Extant engraved singns and paintings of gladiators on plasters of Pompeyian houses have usualy nothing common with original armature of gladiators but it shows the evident admiration of common inhabitans.

52Entry 4.2.1.

53Nossov 2009, p. 154, where one of the quoted sources is Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.5.1: «From my governor, [I learned] to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at the games in the Circus, nor a partizan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the gladiators’ fights»

(http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.1.one.html; last access: 7.6.2012).

54General term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips.

55Nossov 2009 p. 167.

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