What song the Sirens sang . . .

The gladius got its start in the Punic Wars, it was an amalgamation of two Iberian swords, the falcata and the espasa. Though Sprague writes, “the espasa was adopted by the Romans and resembled their double-edged straight short sword, also called the gladius hispanicus, or Spanish sword” (p.230, Sprague) Sprague shows the espasa is what influenced the Romans more than the falcata.  These blades were the best the Romans had come across in their travels. Polybius said of these swords (both the falcata and espasa) that they had “a point that was as effective for wounding an enemy combatatant as was the edge.” (p.229, Sprague). By the end of the second Punic War, the Roman in effect used the Spanish sword to defeat the Carthaginians and push them out of Spain and put down the Iberians (the Spanish).

The most common gladius used during the Second and Third Punic Wars was arround twenty inches. Its main purpose was as a thrusting weapon, yet like all blades slashing was not out of the question. In combat “when the legionary had thrown his pila he drew his second weapon, the gladius. This was a short, broad-bladed, acutely pointed weapon intended purely for stabbing.” (p.34, Wilkinson). This is expanded on in Roman Military Equipment: “the gladius Hispaniensis, as it has come to be known (the term gladius could refer to any sword), is often thought of as quite straightforward: the Romans encountered the weapon in Spain for the first time, were so impressed they adopted it” (p.54, Bishop).

As we look back on the Romans we should understand that “the gladius became a trademark of the Roman troops not because of the design, but because of the discipline of the Roman legions.” (p.248, Sprague). Meaning even if the Romans had adopted the khopesh, their ability to adapt and use troops would have triumphed over any drawbacks of design.

M.C. Bishop and J.C.N. Coulston, Roman Military Equipment: From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome (Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2009), 54.

Martina Sprague, A History of Edged Weapon Warfare (Yardley: Westholme Publishing,LLC, 2009), 229 (both quote and image), 238, 248.

Frederick Wilkinson, Arms and Armour (London: Chancellor Press, 1996), 34.

http://www.makinghistorycomealive.com/?page_id=31

Hoplites were soldiers for ancient Greece.  Hoplon was the name of the shield used by the Hoplite worriers.  It is said that the Hoplites name came from their shield (Hoplon), but others argue that, Hoplites took their name from their arms and armor as a whole.

Hoplites were usually free citizens of Greece.  In most cases they received basic military training and were responsible for obtaining their own armor for battle.  Since armor was so expensive, it was usually passed down through families.  There were many different styles of armor used by the Hoplites, usually ranging between 45-60 pounds.  Some pheasant soldiers could not even afford armor and would simply fight with a hoplon, spear and possibly a helmet.  The hoplites that had a little more money have linothorax, which was armor that was made from stitched fabric reinforced with animal skin or bronze.  Linothorax was most popular because of it was not too expensive and was very durable.  Those who had lots of money (upper-class) would wear a bronze chest plate.  The helmets used varied over time, getting lighter and simpler as time went on.  The main weapon that they used was a spear, which they called a Dory.  There were different length’s used ranging from 7 feet up to 25 feet.  The Hoplites would hold they dory in one had while holding their hoplon in the other.  The pointy end of the spear was usually a leaf shape.  The other end of the dory was usually spiked so that they could stand the spear in the ground.   

http://deadliestfiction.wikia.com/wiki/King_Leonidas

 Many of the Greek worriers had other jobs to attend to, and winters were too tough of conditions, so battles were generally fought during summer in a location that both sides would agree upon prior to battle.  Hoplites generally fought using a Phalanx formation, which was rectangular mass of worriers armed with their hoplons, spears, and other similar weapons.  They would march together toward their opponent and whichever line broke first was generally the losing side. 

http://getasword.com/blog/468-hoplite-armor-weapons-and-phalanx/

Hoplites were tough worriers who obviously made a name for themselves with many films now days based on these worriers.  They were a strong and unforgettable people.

Bibliography

Admin. Hoplite-Armor, Weapons and Phalanx. July 19, 2010. http://getasword.com/blog/468-hoplite-armor-weapons-and-phalanx/ (accessed September 20, 2011).

Snodgrass, A. M. “The Journal of Hellenic Studies.” JSTOR. 1965. http://www.jstor.org.hal.weber.edu:2200/stable/6288 (accessed September 20, 2011).

Whitehead, J. F. Lazenby and David. “The Myth of the Hoplite’s Hoplon.” JSTOR. 1996. http://www.jstor.org.hal.weber.edu:2200/stable/639557 (accessed September 20, 2011).

Wikia, Inc. King Leonidas. September 28, 2010 . http://deadliestfiction.wikia.com/wiki/King_Leonidas (accessed September 21, 2011).

Wikipedia. Hoplite. September 13, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplite#Equipment (accessed September 20, 2011).

photo courtesy of the British Museum. http://www.britishmuseum.org

                When you mention Gladiator training to people today, they immediately reference the movies Spartacus and Gladiator.  Why is that?  The actors who portrayed these gladiators of ancient Rome resembled the real thing, physically, at least.  The first step in entering a Ludus was being in both fine physical shape, to withstand the training and fights, and be attractive to the masses.

                Gladiators were both slaves and freemen, who elected to renounce their social status.  Before entering training a novice first had to swear an oath agreeing to endure both humiliation and death with honor.  After signing a contract agreeing on a monetary value and the amounts of fights per year, he was then evaluated for what style of fighting he would best be suited for.

                There were five main different fighting styles; a Thraex fought with a relatively small, curved sword (sica) and a small shield (parma).  The parma was used to not only block blows but also to cover the gladiators core section.  Often times, he would also wear long leg-plates.  The Murmillones, named after net fishermen, fought with a long shield (scutum) and a narrow sword (gladius).  Like the Thraex, he was also allowed leg-plates, but his could reach no higher than the shin.  The Murmillo was often paired against the Hoplomachus.   His equipment resembled that of the Thraex, but he was afforded a helmet, and instead of a parma, he fought with a round bronze shield.  He would start his fights with a lance, switching to a sica only after being disarmed.  The final gladiator style was the Retairius, he went into battle wearing a loin cloth, with his only protection being a protective wrapping around his left arm and a bronze plate from his left shoulder to his elbow.  His weapons were a circular throwing net and a trident.  While he could be paired against any of the other gladiators, he was mainly paired against the Secutor.  This gladiator resembled the Mumillo with the largest difference being his helmet.  This helmet covered his entire face leaving eye holes to see out of, but it also greatly reduced the gladiator’s field of vision. (Meijer, 2003, 90-93)

                Once the fighting style was chosen the novice would then be assigned to a weapons specialist, normally ex-gladiators who could no longer fight.  Under the care of this specialist, the novice would spend almost every waking moment in the training yard learning the fighting technique, repeating the movements over and over until they knew them automatically.  As their skill progressed, they were moved from practicing with wooden weapons against a wooden pole to blunted weapons against other trainees.  These men would practice until they literally dropped from exhaustion daily. 

                To keep their strength up they were well feed, compared to the general masses.  This was one reason why some freemen volunteered to become gladiators.  Their meals were taken in the canteen along the short edge of the training yard and consisted of barley gruel with beans, vegetables, and brews of charred wood or bone ash. (Curry 2008)  The reason for this was two-fold, the gladiator tended to burn off these calories while in training and when it was time to enter the arena, the added layer of fat acted as a an additional layer of protection.  “If he was wounded, but only in the fatty layer, he could fight on.  It didn’t hurt as much, and the blood looked great for the audience.” (Curry 2008)

                While assigned to a Ludus, the Gladiator was always well fed, and cared for by top physicians.  While most Ludus provided seating for spectators to watch the gladiators spar against each other, the gladiator remained a novice until he entered the arena for the first time.  At this point, he would be given his rating depending upon the outcome of the fight.  Although, we always hear the oath to the Emperor as, “We who are about to die salute you,” it was rare that a gladiator was killed in the arena.  “A gladiator counts it a disgrace to be matched with an inferior, and knows that to win without danger is to win without glory.” (Seneca Ess 1-17)

                Archeologists are continuously uncovering more and more information about the training camps of the gladiator.  From a gladiator cemetery, outside of Turkey, they are learning more on how they died and injuries sustained while both training and fighting.  The equipment used has been uncovered from a Ludus in Pompeii, and a new Ludus has been discovered in Austria, intact.  As we continue to learn more about these athletes of the ancient world, our desire to know more ever increases over time.   The Ludi are best compared to the NFL training camps of today, and these gladiators are best compared to our toughest football players, only our athletes do not have to face death in the arena.

Picture Courtesy of National Geographic Daily News. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/110913-gladiator-school-austria-roman-ancient-walmarts-science)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Carter, M.J. 2006/2007. Gladiatorial Combat: The Rules of Engagement.  The Classical Association of the Middle West 

     and South 102, no. 2 (Dec-Jan., 2006/2007).   http://www.jstor.org/stable/30038038.  (accessed Sept 18, 2011).

 Curry, Andrew. 2008.  The Gladiator Diet. Archeology 61, no. 6 (Nov-Dec., 2008). 

     http://www.archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/gladiator.html (accessed Sept 18, 2011).

 Meijer, Fik.  2003.  The Gladiators: History’s Most Deadly Sport.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books.

  Seneca. Essays Volume I.  Ess 1-17

  Watson, Traci. 2011.  Huge Gladiator School Found Buried in Austria. National Geographic Daily New,

     September 13, 2011.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/110913-gladiator-school-austria-roman-

     ancient-walmarts-science/  (accessed Sept 18, 2011).

“What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, though puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjecture.” *

Welcome to the reboot of “What song the Sirens sang.”   This version of the blog will feature posts from students in my various ancient history classes plus occasional posts from me.   I don’t teach every semester, so there will be periods of inactivity.

So, stop by, read, enjoy and perhaps learn.

* From: Sir Thomas Browne. Hydriotaphia (Urn Burial). Ch.5.4, 1658. Ch.5.4, 1658.