Gladiator (Retiarius) by Pius Weloński in National Museum in Kraków, Poland
Gladiator (Retiarius) by Pius Weloński in National Museum in Kraków, Poland.
Roman art and literature make no mention of retiarii until the early Imperial period. This type of gladiator is absent from the copious gladiator-themed reliefs dating to the 1st century found at Chieti and Pompeii. Nevertheless, graffiti and artifacts from Pompeii attest to the class's existence by this time. Fights between retiarii and secutores probably became popular as early as the middle of the 1st century CE. By the 2nd or 3rd century CE, the net-fighter had become one of the standard gladiator categories and remained a staple attraction until the end of the gladiatorial games. In addition to the man-versus-nature symbolism inherent in such bouts, with the retiarius representing a fisherman fighting a stylized fish represented by the secutor with his scaled armor, the lightly armored retiarius was also viewed as the effeminate counterpoint to his more manly, heavily armored opponent. The more skin left unarmored and exposed, the lower a gladiator's status and the greater his perceived effeminacy. Likewise, the engulfing net may have been seen as a feminine symbol. The retiarius's fighting style was another strike against him, as reliance on speed and evasion were viewed as undignified in comparison to the straightforward trading of blows. A retiarius typically wore no helmet, either, with his face fully visible adding to his infamia. In his book, "Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games," Roland Auguet states the emperor Claudius had all net-fighters who lost in combat put to death so that spectators could clearly see their expressions of agony. Although it is said Claudius was extraordinarily fond of games, these deaths may have been used as reminders to the crowd of the real human sacrifice inherent in Roman entertainment.
Image: Gladiator (Retiarius) by Pius Weloński in National Museum in Kraków courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Gungir1983.
Roman art and literature make no mention of retiarii until the early Imperial period. This type of gladiator is absent from the copious gladiator-themed reliefs dating to the 1st century found at Chieti and Pompeii. Nevertheless, graffiti and artifacts from Pompeii attest to the class's existence by this time. Fights between retiarii and secutores probably became popular as early as the middle of the 1st century CE. By the 2nd or 3rd century CE, the net-fighter had become one of the standard gladiator categories and remained a staple attraction until the end of the gladiatorial games. In addition to the man-versus-nature symbolism inherent in such bouts, with the retiarius representing a fisherman fighting a stylized fish represented by the secutor with his scaled armor, the lightly armored retiarius was also viewed as the effeminate counterpoint to his more manly, heavily armored opponent. The more skin left unarmored and exposed, the lower a gladiator's status and the greater his perceived effeminacy. Likewise, the engulfing net may have been seen as a feminine symbol. The retiarius's fighting style was another strike against him, as reliance on speed and evasion were viewed as undignified in comparison to the straightforward trading of blows. A retiarius typically wore no helmet, either, with his face fully visible adding to his infamia. In his book, "Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games," Roland Auguet states the emperor Claudius had all net-fighters who lost in combat put to death so that spectators could clearly see their expressions of agony. Although it is said Claudius was extraordinarily fond of games, these deaths may have been used as reminders to the crowd of the real human sacrifice inherent in Roman entertainment.
Image: Gladiator (Retiarius) by Pius Weloński in National Museum in Kraków courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Gungir1983.
Comments
Post a Comment