Sagittarius-Gladiator

Евсеенков А.С.

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Sagittarius - an ancient Roman gladiator armed with a bow and arrow. Fought in mass battles or against the same sagittarii in skirmishes in the arena.

This is one of the rarest types of gladiators. Sagittarius gladiators are rarely depicted or described, but we have at least some idea of them thanks to a bas-relief from the Bardini Museum in Florence, where you can see two gladiators in conical helmets, breastplates, armed with bows. There is also a vase with the image of this type of gladiator among the archaeological finds.

It is assumed that the two archers were supposed to act as hunters, tracking each other and trying to hit the enemy first. The sagittarius's goal was to get as close to the enemy as possible in order to hit with an arrow, and therefore the warriors had to be fast, flexible and, most importantly, accurate. This type of gladiatorial games most likely disappeared after the construction of a large amphitheater: the fighters were lost among the scenery in the arena, and the audience could not really follow the battle. Sagittarii could also accidentally injure or kill one of the spectators.

Bas-relief with gladiators-sagittarii from Florence. 1st century BC - 1st century AD

Related topics

Gladiator, Sagittarius, Onion, Arrows, Archery technique

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