Gladiator from Aquileia
This detailed and lovingly crafted gladiator after a section of a tomb relief from Aquilea from the 1st to 2nd century AD is a decorative relief for every lover of Roman small art.
The relief made of patinated ceramic casting shows a murmillo, the further development of the gladiator type Samnit. The murmillo (lat.; also: myrmillo, mirmillo, mormillo) was a heavily armed Roman gladiator. The name derives from murma, a sea fish caught in nets. Indeed, the murmillo was originally used mainly against a gladiator armed with a net, the retarius. The samnite was the most magnificent of all gladiators. His richly decorated armor consisted of an open helmet with cheek flaps, bush and feathers, a metal breastplate, armored gauntlet on the sword arm, one or two greaves and a large oval or rectangular shield. His offensive weapon was the straight sword, rarely the lance. At the beginning of the imperial period, the Samnite disappeared from the arenas. His successor was the even more magnificent Hoplomachus.
The equipment of this depicted gladiator is an elaborate visored helmet, a metal greave, a large rectangular shield and a short sword.
It is a very detailed and artistic depiction of this type of gladiator.
- Gladiator relief dimensions: approx. 15x12cm
- genuine alabaster gypsum patinated
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