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Military & Gladiatorial Fighting Technique - Part 1. Author: Graham Ashford 2002 The following is the first part of three regarding the use of similar fighting techniques employed by the military and gladiators. There is a marked similarity between certain gladiators and the legionary of the 1st-2nd Century AD. The provocator bears more than a passing resembelance to the legionary in the arms carried and in some of the helmets styles used by the gladiator. Other types of gladiator are similarly armed just not as obviously so, such as the secutor and murmillo. Throughout this essay reference to gladiators will be assuming some form of scutarii in so far as they are armed with a scutum and gladius of a similar length to their military counterpart. This first of parts will deal primarily with some of the evidence which demonstrates a similarity between fundamental gladiatorial fighting techniques and the similar basic principles taught the legionary. The second will deal with instances of military personnel being used to train gladiators and in conclusion some iconography exploring direct comparisons of gladiatorial and military techniques. It must be said however, that the author does not believe that all of the military techniques employed in massed combat are taken from the gladiators or vic verca just that there is some similarity in some of the basic principles of the swordsmanship involved. Disciplined massed combat follows a very different set of doctrines than single professional combat of the gladiator. Throughout Roman history there where various instances when gladiators and their trainers were called upon to operate in some form of military capacity. Either directly as military personnel or as trainers for new recruits. Below are some of the more prominent moments when this was done: 105BC - C Manilius & P Rutilius Rufus use gladiatorial trainers to train new recruits after the defeat at Arausio. 49BC Considerable concern over the 5,000 gladiators of Julius Caesar. Pompeys supporters were worried that Caesar might call upon them into his army. 21AD Sacrovir enlists gladiators into his rebellion against Rome. 69AD Gladiators used in the civil wars. Defence of the River Po, Otho recruited 2000 gladiators to fight in the army, although many deserted. Marcus Aurelius formed a bandit/gladiator army called the Obsequentes. Historia Augusta - "... that when Romans went to war they had to look at fighting and wounds and weapons and unprotected men attacking one another, so that they would not be afraid of armed enemies in war or be frightened by wounds and blood." ... a roman orator could still tell the Ostrogothic king Theoderic how the Romans of old had looked to gladiators for their military training ... Wiedemann Emperors and Gladiators p39 - Panegyricus Theodorico 85. There are a good number of times when gladiators are called upon in rebellion, riot and mischief but these seem to be more in individual fighting/brawling than in a true military capacity of some sort. I have not included Spartacus because I am unsure what percentage of his army could be considered gladiatorial by the time the slave revolt was in full sway. The use of gladiatorial trainers in times of crisis must show that the Roman military commanders that used them considered there enough of a similarity, at least at a rudimentary level, to allow them to be used. Quite probably there may not have been sufficient veterans or military trainers available to be able to train raw recruits well enough for combat and as such the second best was used. A gladiatorial trainer, unless an ex soldier, would have been unlikely to be able to train men for massed combat, but would have probably been better than the available alternatives at teaching basic swordsmanship. Next we will take a look at the few occasions when military trainers.personnel were used to train gladiators. As ever, we invite feedback and debate over this piece of work as we don't claim to know everything and its brevity can often force us to leave out something others may feel worthy of inclusion. |