Spartacus

[Silent bob]

If you've ever worn a gladiator helmet (the uber cool looking ones) you'll see they were designed to deliberately restrict vision and were in most cases designed for show - they could stop a blow alright but they were extravagantly designed.

A Roman soldier or any other soldier for that matter would never wear such a helmet - not practical for fighting. So, is it likely that a gladiator would wear a gladiator helmet such as the Murmillo is forced to wear in the ring?

Plutarch wrote:

On the road they fell in with waggons conveying gladiators' weapons to another city; these they plundered and armed themselves

To begin with, the gladiators repulsed the soldiers who came against them from Capua, and getting hold of many arms of real warfare, they gladly took these in exchange for their own, casting away their gladiatorial weapons as dishonourable and barbarous.


When they first escaped from Capua, they were armed with improvised weapons from the kitchen plus I spose  anything they could grab from overpowered guards.

Chances are that there were no gladiator helmets in evidence at all......but we all want our Gladiators to look distinct......



 

[Atheling]

Nice 

[madaxeman]

May i ask what rules do you use?
Also they are based in what it seems 40mm x 40mm bases. Thats part of the rules you use?
I like how they are displayed.

It looks like L'Art de la Guerre to me - all non-skirmisher infantry are based up on 'double depth' 40mm DBx bases in that system, making Heavy/Close formation Infantry are 40x30 and Medium/Loose formation Infantry are 40mmx40mm

I have an ADLG Spartacus army in the to-do pile myself, but this has rather intimidated (or inspired!) me !

[Easy E]

Very cool army! 

I know that the Gladiator weapon's were discarded very early on and more conventional arms were looted/adopted.  However, it is a great way to visually mark out the Gladiator army by mixing a few with Gladiator equipment into the ranks. 

That's exactly what I would do!

[Fremitus Borealis]

Very cool army! 

I know that the Gladiator weapon's were discarded very early on and more conventional arms were looted/adopted.  However, it is a great way to visually mark out the Gladiator army by mixing a few with Gladiator equipment into the ranks. 

That's exactly what I would do!

I had a similar thought. Not to mention, since there's always gonna be a bit of RPG aspect with building "your army", who's to say the guys who are dressed like gladiators aren't, say, table makers by trade, and thought they'd put on some gladiator kit to "fit in with the cool kids"? 

[rumacara]

Forged in Battle.

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=126_161_155

[qwaqwe]

May i ask what rules do you use?
Also they are based in what it seems 40mm x 40mm bases. Thats part of the rules you use?
I like how they are displayed.

Impetvs. 2 bases create unit 40X80.

[qwaqwe]

That is a great looking army. If I were to do a Spartacus army I would want it to look just like that but that does lead me to a question though.

If you've ever worn a gladiator helmet (the uber cool looking ones) you'll see they were designed to deliberately restrict vision and were in most cases designed for show - they could stop a blow alright but they were extravagantly designed.

A Roman soldier or any other soldier for that matter would never wear such a helmet - not practical for fighting. So, is it likely that a gladiator would wear a gladiator helmet such as the Murmillo is forced to wear in the ring?

I know we all want our gladiators to look fabulous - I do. But ....

In Spartacus time gladiator's helmets were like soldier helmets. The classical gladiators helmets like murmillo will be in use about 50 years after Spartacus revolt. But yes, it's visually mark for "elite" Spartacus units.

[qwaqwe]

Forged in Battle.

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=126_161_155

Also i took figures from

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=126_161_169&product_id=621

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=126_161_169&product_id=622

and 1 figure of Xyston's liktor

[Figouze]

Nice job ! 

[rumacara]

Qwaqwe thank you for the clarification on rules and bases.

[wmyers]

Also i took figures from

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=126_161_169&product_id=621

https://www.forgedinbattle.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=126_161_169&product_id=622

and 1 figure of Xyston's liktor

Those are good choices!

Seeing these figures tempts me to start another Roman army scale!

[qwaqwe]

Spartacus 28mm

[nikkobourges]

Hello,

Superb paintjob !!! I'm impressed !!!

Nikkobourges

[Tim Haslam]

Lovely looking force, I too thought it was 28mm!

In answer to the helmet question, I believe that the Gladiators saw the arena helmets as representing their servitude and had much disdain for them.
So likely they chose not to wear them.

However they look very cool!