54mm Gladiators: Retiarius

The retiarius, the net-and-trident man, is one of the more iconic fighters folks think of when they hear the word, "gladiator." Probably because they can see his face so that they have a personage to identify with, or probably because of his unusual armaments, one of which for he is named.

The retiarius (from rete, meaning net) was armed with a trident, a dagger and a small fisherman's net weighted along the edges to help in casting. The only armor a retiarius had were some leather legs coverings, quilted padding along the left arm which was topped at the shoulder with a piece of armor called a galerus providing the head with some protection.

This armor didn't offer much protection, but it granted the retiarius speed and agility. As you have seen with the murmillo, and as you'll see with the next figure (the secutor), the retiarius's opponents were heavily armored; as heavy as they were, they needed to dispatch the retiarius relatively quickly before fatigue set in from carrying a heavy shield and wearing a heavy helmet (the helmet of the secutor containing only two small eye holes and not a lot of air circulation.) Since a retiarius's opponent sought to end the match quickly, they might force themselves into an early mistake, allowing the retiarius to cast his net and ensnare his opponent. This gave the net man a chance to dispatch his opponent with the trident.