Ocrea
Ocrea (-eae f, Latin ) was a metal leg brace . Ocreae were worn by Roman soldiers and gladiators to prevent leg injuries during combat. They covered the front part of the leg and were tied with straps that were passed through eyelets on the side. Ocreae were mostly decorated with rich decorations.
Ocreae in the military
Ocreae were used by the Roman army at the time of the early Roman Republic . In the late republic, only centurions wore greaves. In the imperial era, greaves appeared again.
Ocreae of the gladiators
The different genera of gladiators protected themselves by ocreae of different lengths , depending on the length of their shield:
- The Murmillo and the Secutor with their long shield ( scutum ) each only wore a short ocrea on their left leg.
- The provocator with its medium-sized shield ( scutum ) wore a medium-length ocrea on its left leg.
- The Thraex and the Hoplomachus with their little shields ( parma , parmula and hoplon ) wore long ocreae on both legs.
literature
- Marcus Junkelmann : Playing with death. This is how Rome's gladiators fought . Mainz am Rhein, 2000 ( Ancient World , special issue; Zabern's illustrated books on archeology ).
