Rome and The Gladiators
Ideal for students aged 10 - 13.
Full Pack Contents : includes a 50 page teaching pack, supporting review PowerPoint and links to games and video clips.
Differentiated Vocab Builders ,The Birth of Rome, Who Were the Gladiators ?, Gladiators Source Types, Top Ten Gladiator Types, Inside the Colosseum, What Else Happened In The Arena?, Uncovered - Female Gladiators, Top Ten Famous Gladiators, Buy Your Gladiator, Equip Your Gladiator, Train Your Gladiator, Design Your Gladiator, Empathy and Creative Writing, (The Diary of a Gladiator), Who Was Spartacus?, Investigation, ( Did Most Romans Enjoy The Games? ) ,Writing Frames, Review - Crossword and Picture Puzzle, Review - Cut and Match Puzzle, Source Analysis and Enquiry, Review - PowerPoint Quiz, Media clips, Links and Games, Colosseum Timeline, Unit Assessment.
Differentiated Vocab Builders ,The Birth of Rome, Who Were the Gladiators ?, Gladiators Source Types, Top Ten Gladiator Types, Inside the Colosseum, What Else Happened In The Arena?, Uncovered - Female Gladiators, Top Ten Famous Gladiators, Buy Your Gladiator, Equip Your Gladiator, Train Your Gladiator, Design Your Gladiator, Empathy and Creative Writing, (The Diary of a Gladiator), Who Was Spartacus?, Investigation, ( Did Most Romans Enjoy The Games? ) ,Writing Frames, Review - Crossword and Picture Puzzle, Review - Cut and Match Puzzle, Source Analysis and Enquiry, Review - PowerPoint Quiz, Media clips, Links and Games, Colosseum Timeline, Unit Assessment.
Top Ten Gladiator Types
Scissor
Little is written about this type of gladiator. It is thought they used a special short sword with two blades that looked like a pair of open scissors ( perhaps to trap their opponents' weapons between the twin blades) . They also had a metal tube that covered the arm, the
hand end capped with a dagger attached to it the end.
Dimachaeri
Were light and fast, equipped for close-combat fighting. This gladiator used a two curved swords (scimitar or gladius ). Their swords were used for attack and defence. The Dimachaeri were probably one of the most skilled, experienced and popular type of gladiator. They would have been ideally suited to fight heavily
armoured opponents or other Dimachaeri.
Bestiarii
They were known as the ‘beast fighters’ and were trained to fight wild and sometimes exotic animals. They had very little protection and were armed with a spear or knife / dagger. These gladiators were usually criminals that were sent to fight dangerous animals with a high probability of death for the human
Thracian
They wore broad rimmed Griffin shaped helmets that covered the whole head. They were protected by a small round or square-shaped shield / parmula , and their legs
protected by two thigh-length guards / greaves. Their only weapon was the Thracian curved sword.
Retiarius
A very common type of gladiator that carried a three pronged spear/ trident , a dagger, net and a large arm guard / manica extending to the shoulder and left side of the chest. They often fought Secutores or Murmillos. More protection was given by a metal shoulder shield / galerus, to cover the neck and lower face.
Secutor
Also called ‘Pursuers’, they were similar to the Murmillo, with the same armour and weapons,including the tall rectangular shield and the short gladius sword. The
helmet of the Secutor, covered the whole face except for two small holes to protect his eyes from the prongs of the Retiarius’ trident. The helmet was round and smooth so that the Retiarius’ net could grip on it.
Murmillo
This heavily armoured gladiator wore a large helmet with the shape of a fish on the crest. They were further protected with an arm guard,
loincloth belt, a gaiter on his right leg and thick wrappings covering the tops of his feet. They also used a tall, military type shield and
usually fought with Thracians or Retiarius.
Hoplomachus
They were based on the Greek ‘armed fighter’. They wore quilted leg wrappings, loincloth, a belt, a pair of long shin-guards / greaves, an arm guard / manica on the sword-arm, and a brimmed helmet with a plume of feathers on the top and sides. They fought with a gladius and a very small, round shield. They also carried a spear, which the gladiator could throw before close combat. The Hoplomachi were paired against the Murmillo or Thracian.
Equites
They were specialised gladiators that fought on horseback with a spear and gladius, dressed in a full tunic, with a manica / arm-guard. Generally, the Equites only fought other Equities.
Samnite
An early type and heavily armed gladiator. The Samnites were powerful Italian tribes whom the Romans fought wars with between 326 and 291 BC. The Samnite
gladiator was armed with a long rectangular shield / scutum, a plumed helmet, short sword, and a greave on his left leg. It was said that Samnites were lucky since they got large shields and good swords.
Scissor
Little is written about this type of gladiator. It is thought they used a special short sword with two blades that looked like a pair of open scissors ( perhaps to trap their opponents' weapons between the twin blades) . They also had a metal tube that covered the arm, the
hand end capped with a dagger attached to it the end.
Dimachaeri
Were light and fast, equipped for close-combat fighting. This gladiator used a two curved swords (scimitar or gladius ). Their swords were used for attack and defence. The Dimachaeri were probably one of the most skilled, experienced and popular type of gladiator. They would have been ideally suited to fight heavily
armoured opponents or other Dimachaeri.
Bestiarii
They were known as the ‘beast fighters’ and were trained to fight wild and sometimes exotic animals. They had very little protection and were armed with a spear or knife / dagger. These gladiators were usually criminals that were sent to fight dangerous animals with a high probability of death for the human
Thracian
They wore broad rimmed Griffin shaped helmets that covered the whole head. They were protected by a small round or square-shaped shield / parmula , and their legs
protected by two thigh-length guards / greaves. Their only weapon was the Thracian curved sword.
Retiarius
A very common type of gladiator that carried a three pronged spear/ trident , a dagger, net and a large arm guard / manica extending to the shoulder and left side of the chest. They often fought Secutores or Murmillos. More protection was given by a metal shoulder shield / galerus, to cover the neck and lower face.
Secutor
Also called ‘Pursuers’, they were similar to the Murmillo, with the same armour and weapons,including the tall rectangular shield and the short gladius sword. The
helmet of the Secutor, covered the whole face except for two small holes to protect his eyes from the prongs of the Retiarius’ trident. The helmet was round and smooth so that the Retiarius’ net could grip on it.
Murmillo
This heavily armoured gladiator wore a large helmet with the shape of a fish on the crest. They were further protected with an arm guard,
loincloth belt, a gaiter on his right leg and thick wrappings covering the tops of his feet. They also used a tall, military type shield and
usually fought with Thracians or Retiarius.
Hoplomachus
They were based on the Greek ‘armed fighter’. They wore quilted leg wrappings, loincloth, a belt, a pair of long shin-guards / greaves, an arm guard / manica on the sword-arm, and a brimmed helmet with a plume of feathers on the top and sides. They fought with a gladius and a very small, round shield. They also carried a spear, which the gladiator could throw before close combat. The Hoplomachi were paired against the Murmillo or Thracian.
Equites
They were specialised gladiators that fought on horseback with a spear and gladius, dressed in a full tunic, with a manica / arm-guard. Generally, the Equites only fought other Equities.
Samnite
An early type and heavily armed gladiator. The Samnites were powerful Italian tribes whom the Romans fought wars with between 326 and 291 BC. The Samnite
gladiator was armed with a long rectangular shield / scutum, a plumed helmet, short sword, and a greave on his left leg. It was said that Samnites were lucky since they got large shields and good swords.