Galerus
The galerus ( lat. ) Was a metal protective shield that belonged to the armor of a Roman gladiator , the retiarius . The galerus was attached to the upper end of the armguard ( manica ) on the shoulder of the retiarius .
The name galerus comes from the 8th satire of Iuvenal (VIII, 208). There Iuvenal makes fun of a decadent nobleman who fights as a gladiator. Galerus actually refers to a cap or wig, and it is disputed whether it is the authentic name for the retiarius's shoulder umbrella . Nevertheless, this name has become common in modern times. In another Satire (VI, 11) Juvenal still uses a different expression for the shoulder shield, namely munimenta humeri (lat. Shoulder bulwark ).
Appearance of the galerus
The galeri that were excavated in Pompeii consist of a metal plate with a half-tube in the middle. Above the half-tube, the galerus is curved towards the half-tube. The galerus was tied to the padded sleeve (manica) by means of two eyelets and reached from the shoulder to the middle of the upper arm. Its weight is about 1.2 kg.
literature
- Marcus Junkelmann : Playing with death. This is how Rome's gladiators fought . Mainz am Rhein, 2000 (= Ancient World; special volume) ( Ancient World , special issue; Zabern's illustrated books on archeology ), ISBN 3-8053-2563-0 .