Provocator

Demonstration in Carnuntum

The provocator ( Latin for "challenger") was a heavily armed Roman gladiator . Its identification caused great problems at first, but now seems certain.

For other gladiators see: Gladiator types .

Equipment and armament

The provocator was heavily armed. As a weapon he used a short sword ( gladius ). His armor consisted of a Celtic-Roman helmet, a bib or crescent-shaped breastplate ( pectorale ), a medium-sized shield ( scutum ), an armguard on the sword arm ( manica ) and a half -length greave ( ocrea ). He was dressed in a loincloth ( subligaculum ) and a belt ( balteus or cingulum ).

opponent

Usually the provocator fought against another provocator . Only an inscription, a pilgrim's bottle and a relief in Yale University name a murmillo as an opponent.

Relief Provocatores Tiber 1st century	Mosaic Provocators Kos 3rd century	Murmillo Provocator pilgrim bottle	Relief Provocator Murmillo

literature

Marcus Junkelmann : Playing with death - This is how Rome's gladiators fought . Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2563-0 ( Antike Welt , special issue; Zabern's illustrated books on archeology ).
Fik Meijer: Gladiators - The game of life and death. Artemis & Winkler, Düsseldorf 2004, ISBN 3-7608-2303-3 .

Individual evidence

↑ Relief with Gladiators | Yale University Art Gallery. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .

[1] Relief with Gladiators | Yale University Art Gallery. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .