Thraex

The Thraex (pl. Thraeces), or Thracian, was a type of Roman gladiator, armed in the Thracian style with a small rectangular, square or circular shield called a parmula (about 60 x 65 cm) and a very short sword with a slightly curved blade called a sica (like a small version of the Dacian falx), intended to maim an opponent's unarmoured back. His other armour included armoured greaves (necessitated by the smallness of the protector for his sword arm and shoulder), a protective belt above a loin cloth, and a helmet with a side plume, visor and high crest.

Murmillo (left) defeating a thraex (lying down) (Lamp, Louvre).

Hoplomachus (left) vs thraex (right) (Terracotta, British Museum).

He and the hoplomachus, with his Greek equipment, were usually pitted against the murmillo, armed like a legionary, mimicking the opposition between Roman soldiers and their various enemies.

See also

• Ludus Dacicus
• List of Roman gladiator types

References

• Bronze figurine of a gladiator - British Museum
• Terracotta figurine of 2 gladiators - British Museum
• E. Köhne and C. Ewigleben (eds.). Gladiators and Caesars: The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome. London: The British Museum Press, 2000.

External links

• Fresco of a murmillo and Thracian fighting, found in Pompei in 2019