Recognising Gladiators: Ⅷ the Retiarius

Retiarius

The word retiarius derived from rete, which is Latin for “net”. This gladiator’s name could therefore be translated as “net fighter” or “net man”. He is the only one of the popular types of gladiators to have equipment that is not based on military equipment. He looks like he is about to go fishing, more than anything else. 

Fig. ❶ Funerary stone of the retiarius Martialis, erected by his wife 50-100 CE. Gladiator exhibition ("Gladiatoren: Helden van het Colosseum"), Gallo-Romeins Museum, Tongeren (Belgium).

☑　Clothes

Like most types of gladiators, retiarii wore a “subligaculum”, which is a loincloth held in place by a wide belt called “balteus”. Also like most other types, they often had some kind of cloth or leather covering the top of their feet, but they are almost never shown wearing shoes with soles. The term “gladiator sandals” therefore seems to be an invention of the sword-and-sandal movies of the 1950s and ‘60s. It was later further popularised by the fashion industry.

 

Fig.❷ Iron galerus (shoulderguard) and two earthenware figurines depicting retiarii. Gladiator exhibition ("Gladiatoren: Helden van het Colosseum"), Gallo-Romeins Museum, Tongeren (Belgium).

☑　Manica (armguard) + Galerus (shoulderguard)

The retiarius is the only one of the seven most popular types of gladiators to wear his manica (arm protector) on the left side, instead of on the right side. Attached to it is a galerus. 

On Fig.❷, you can see an original galerus made of iron. Since the retiarius does not have a shield, he needs the galerus to protect his face. If he keeps his head down and his left shoulder pointed towards his opponent, he can cover a good part of his head.

☑　Ocrea (greave)

The retiarius did not typically wear ocreae.

☑　Cassis / galea (helmet)
The retiarius never wore a cassis.

☑　Scutum (shield)

The retiarius never carried a scutum.
 

Fig.❸ Pugio that was found in the gladiator barracks in Pompeii. Gladiator exhibition ("Gladiatoren: Helden van het Colosseum"), Gallo-Romeins Museum, Tongeren (Belgium).

☑　Pugio (dagger)

Just like the hoplomachus who also fights with a pole weapon, the retiarius has a pugio in his left hand (Fig.❶).

A pugio that  was found in the gladiator barracks of Pompeii (Fig. ❸) may have been used by a retiarius. Note that this pugio –like most Roman pugiones– has a shape that is similar to that of the Greek xiphos ΞΙΦΟΣ, rather than that of the Roman gladius (Fig. ❹), although it is much shorter than both.

 

Fig. ❹ Comparison between a Roman gladius and a Greek xiphos ΞΙΦΟΣ. Based on images by Vincenzo80 and Medium69. 

☑　Fuscina / tridens (trident)

The fuscina is arguably the most characteristic weapon of the retiarius. Tridents were used for spearfishing in antiquity, as they still are today in some parts of the world.

The God of the sea Neptunus (Greek: Poseidon ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ), is also famously depicted carrying a fuscina. [i]

Fig. ❺ shows an original part of a retiarius’ fuscina. As the pole it was attached to was made out of wood, it was not preserved.

The hoplomachus had pole weapon as well, but he had to carry a dagger and a shield in his left hand, which meant that he was forced to hold his spear with just one hand (Fig. ❻). The retiarius on the other hand, only had the small dagger in his left hand, so he could use both of his hands to wield his fuscina after he had cast his net. Not only does this allow for much more precision when executing an attack, it also lets the wielder keep his weapon firmly in place. When one holds a pole weapon in one hand, it is way easier for an opponent to push the sharp end aside with a shield or a sword.

Fig. ❺  Metal part of a fuscina/tridens. Gladiator exhibition ("Gladiatoren: Helden van het Colosseum"), Gallo-Romeins Museum, Tongeren (Belgium).

Fig. ❻ Retiarius (left) and hoplomachus (right). Illustration by TIMOTHEVS.

☑　Rete (net)

The rete is at least as remarkable a weapon as the fuscina. The retiarius would throw the heavy net at his opponent to try and entangle him, possibly tripping him or otherwise forcing him in a vulnerable position. The rete was sometimes attached to the retiarius’ wrist [ii] so that the retiarius could retrieve the net when he had missed or –if he did manage to trap his adversary– he could to try and pull him out of balance.

Many depictions show the retiarius without the rete though, which suggests that he sometimes discarded the net anyway, possibly because the net got tangled up and could not be untangled quickly enough. Moreover, holding three weapons at a time is not very practical. The fact that a net is difficult for an artist to render may also explain why there are so many reliefs and mosaics that show a retiarius without his rete.

 

Fig. ❼ Retiarius VS secutor. Illustration by TIMOTHEVS.

The traditional opponent of the retiarius was the fish-like secutor (Fig. ❼).

The retiarius did not have a heavy shield, a helmet or a greave to weigh him down, so he could move about much quicker than the secutor could. He could even run around to try and wear out his opponent. By trapping him in his rete, the retiarius could drastically limit the secutor’s movements, and therefore his ability to defend himself against an attack. Alternatively, he could use his rete to trip him up or drag him to the ground before attacking with his fuscina.

On the downside, if the secutor could avoid the net and move past the prongs of the trident somehow, he had plenty of unprotected body parts to choose from.

This mosaic [iii] show a retiarius attacking a secutor. The person in the back in the white tunica is a referee.

This mosaic [iv] shows a retiarius raising his finger to signal he gives up and asks for mercy (missio) as blood gushes out of his left leg.

In a situation like this, the editor (the person who paid for the fight, typically a wealthy public figure) would decide whether the loser should be spared or killed by the victor. If he wanted to win the crowd’s favour –which is likely, as that often was the purpose of organising gladiatorial games– he would take the reaction of the crowd into account when making this decision. [v]

References:

[i] Hisgett, Tony. "Neptune Roman mosaic Bardo Museum Tunis". commons.wikimedia.org <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neptune_Roman_mosaic_Bardo_Museum_Tunis.jpg> (accessed: October 25, 2016).

[ii] Shadrake, Susanna (2005) 2011. The World of the Gladiator. Didcot: Tempus Publishing. Reprint, Stroud: The History Press: p178. 

[iii] Raddato, Carole. "A Retiarus armed with trident and dagger fighting against a Secutor, the gladiator mosaic at the Roman villa in Nennig, Germany ".
commons.wikimedia.org

<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Retiarus_armed_with_trident_and_dagger_fighting_against_a_Secutor,_the_gladiator_mosaic_at_the_Roman_villa_in_Nennig,_Germany_(9288878145).jpg>.
(accessed: October 25, 2016).

[iv] Unknown author. "Retiarius vs secutor from the Zliten mosaic". commons.wikimedia.org <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retiarius_vs_secutor_from_the_Zliten_mosaic.jpg> (accessed: October 25, 2016).
[v] Dunkle, Roger (2016) Gladiators: Violence and Spectacle in Ancient Rome. Routledge: p133.