Paegniarius
The paegniarius, a designation associated with play, was a performer in entertaining arena displays. Unlike an armed contest, such a number could centre on mock fighting and displays of agility.
Images of fighters with sticks, whips and small shields have been associated with paegniarii. These features do not establish a standard set of wooden armour, a compulsory absence of helmets or an exclusive right to wear footwear. Other gladiatorial bouts did not invariably end in death, so the contrast between “safe paegniarii” and “necessarily fatal gladiator contests” is misleading.
Funerary statements about an individual performer’s age concern his biography and commemorative tradition, not the average life expectancy of the entire group.
Mosaic with the battle of pegniarievna. Roman villa in Nennig,Germany. Early 3rd century ADRelated topics
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