A Guide to Every Roman Gladiator Type

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Ancient weaponry expert Dash Rendar goes over common gladiator classes & how matchups were chosen

Co-authored by Dash Rendar and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: January 26, 2026 Fact Checked

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• What were gladiators?
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• Gladiator Types
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• Training
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• Other Figures
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• Video

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Are you curious about what gladiators were really like in the days of Ancient Rome? We’re here to sate your curiosity! As it turns out, not all gladiators looked the same—they came in a lot of different types, typically differentiated by their weapons, armor, and fighting style. Read on for a comprehensive guide to the different types of Roman gladiators and how they were trained, with insights from ancient weaponry expert Dash Rendar.

What are the kinds of gladiators?

Ancient weaponry expert Dash Rendar says Roman gladiators were categorized by their fighting style and weapons. For instance, murmillo were armed with large shields and swords, while thraex fought with smaller shields and light armor. The retiarius fought with a net and trident, while the eques fought on horseback.

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Section 1 of 4:

What were Roman gladiators?

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1. 
   Roman gladiators were armed fighters who battled to entertain audiences. Gladiators were, for the most part, slaves in Roman society—many didn’t have rights and were forced to fight. Battles were public spectacles held to entertain the masses; they could be fought between two people or between humans and beasts. Gladiators were typically classified based on their armor, weapons, and fighting styles, says Rendar.

   • Gladiators could also be criminals or prisoners of war forced to fight—sometimes to the death, or sometimes for their freedom.
   • Some gladiators were volunteers from the lower classes of Roman society, or former aristocrats trying to make a living after losing their fortunes (although volunteering to be a gladiator was extremely frowned upon).
   • Most gladiators fought other gladiators from the same ludus (school) as themselves, although there were exceptions.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Dash Rendar is an English warbow and ancient weaponry expert. He is passionate about sharing history and has 293k+ followers on YouTube and 417k+ followers on TikTok.
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Section 2 of 4:

Types of Roman Gladiators

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   AndabataAndabatae were “blindfolded gladiators.” It’s believed that they fought on horseback while wearing helmets that obscured their vision with a closed visor—basically forcing them to fight while blindfolded. The term andabata is also associated with essedarii (chariot fighters), and may be a Latinized term derived from Gaulish (a Celtic language originating in continental Europe).
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   ArbelasArbelas gladiators likely used curved blades to fight one another, although it’s also possible that the reliefs depicting curved blade-wielders are actually scissores. The information surrounding arbelas is so murky because they’re only described in one historical source: the Oneirocritica, a treatise on dream interpretation written by Artemidorus (a Greek diviner).

   • The word arbelas could be related to the Greek “arbelos,” which refers to a cobbler’s semicircular blade (historically used to cut leather).
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   BestiariusA bestiarius was a beast-fighter, and they specialized in combat against animals rather than humans. Bestiarii gladiators fought beasts voluntarily, either for profit or glory; however, there are technically two categories of bestiarii, the second of which consists of men condemned to death, and forced against their will to fight beasts.

   • Bestiarii gladiators grew in popularity toward the later days of the Roman Empire, and there were even schools in Rome that specifically trained people to fight beasts.
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   BustuariusA bustuarius gladiator was known as a “tomb fighter”; they fought at Roman funerals as part of the funerary rituals. This tradition grew from the ancient Roman practice of sacrificing captives on a tomb, believing their blood would appease the gods of the underworld; later, after deciding this was too barbaric, Romans had gladiators fight by the tomb or funeral pyre instead.

   • In fact, the concept of gladiators as a whole arose from tomb-fighting (fights held as funerary offerings for the dead). As the practice of tomb-fighting caught on, so did the idea of hosting gladiator battles for entertainment.
   • Bustuarii gladiators were considered of a lower social status than others, since their fights weren’t held in the form of public games.
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   CestusCestus refers not only to a type of gladiator, but also to a specific kind of fighting glove that they wore. Cestus gladiators were fist-fighters (basically, the ancient equivalent of boxers), and they wore cestus gloves in place of weapons and armor.

   • The cestus glove was based on a Greek design, using hard leather strips to protect the fist and lower arm.
   • Some cesti were designed to inflict more damage and fitted with metal studs or spikes.
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   CrupellariusCrupellarius were a very distinct type of gladiator. In The Annals of Tacitus, Tacitus (a prominent Roman historian and politician), describes them as coming from Gaul, trained and armored in Gaulish fashion. They were “encased in the continuous shell of iron usual in the country,” implying that they wore heavy metal armor that covered them pretty much from head to toe.
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   DimachaerusThe dimachaeri were Roman gladiators who specialized in fighting with two swords—or, in other words, dual-wielding their weapons. This term comes from the Greek dimakhairos, meaning “bearing two knives.” The dimachaeri were especially popular in ancient Rome from the 2nd to the 4th century C.E., and typically used sica (curved scimitars) or gladius (short swords) to fight.

   • Dimachaerii may also have been ambidextrous or especially skilled fighters (even compared to other gladiators).
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   EquesEques is a Latin term for a cavalryman (horse-riding fighter) and gladiator. Equites had scale armor, medium-sized cavalry shields, and brimmed helmets—but, most notably, they rode horses. Some equites also wore greaves on their legs and a manica (arm guards) on their right arm.
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   EssedariusThe essedarius gladiator was a chariot-riding fighter (with the name derived from the Latin essedum, which refers to a type of Celtic chariot). Although there’s historical documentation about essedarii, it’s unknown if they battled in their chariots or simply rode into the arena on a chariot, then fought on foot. Additionally, some essedarii are believed to have been driven by charioteers.
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    GallusGallus is a Roman term that literally translates to “Gaul,” referring to the Gaulish people (Celtic peoples who hailed from mainland Western Europe, including areas now covered by France, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland). As such, Gallus fighters wore Gaulish-style weapons and heavy armor. A Gallus could be a Gaulish prisoner of war, or simply a gladiator given Gaulish-style equipment.

    • Gallus gladiators were replaced by the murmillo (or evolved into them) after the Roman Empire took control of Gaul.
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    GladiatrixDid you know there were female gladiators? They weren’t common, but they existed—and the general term for them was gladiatrix. There isn’t a lot of historical documentation about these women, but like male gladiators, they fought either one another or wild beasts as entertainment. Audiences probably considered them an exciting and exotic rarity, considering how few of them existed.

    • The emperor Septimius Severus officially banned female gladiators in the Roman Empire by AD 200.
    • The term gladiatrix wasn’t actually used in Ancient Rome; rather, it was first used in the 1800s to describe female gladiators.
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    HoplomachusThe hoplomachus (“armed fighter” in Latin) gladiators were given arms and armor meant to look like that of the Greek hoplite—soldiers with heavy armor, helmets, a rounded shield, a spear, and a short sword. Hoplomachii would also have a manica (an arm guard) and heavy padding on their legs, as well as greaves.

    • The term hoplite in turn comes from the Greek hoplon, meaning “equipment.” Fittingly, hoplomachii were quite well-equipped!
    • Hoplomachii gladiators were often pitted against murmillones or thracians.
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    LaqueariusLaquearius were an unusual type of gladiator; they fought with a lasso or noose in one hand, and a blade in the other. These gladiators likely used similar tactics to the retiarius (who used nets), and may even have been a sub-type of retiarii; they’d attempt to catch enemies with their lasso, then strike them with the sword.
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    MurmilloMurmillo (or myrmillo) gladiators were a type of gladiator that eventually replaced the Gallus type. Murmillones wore special plumed helmets with a fish (the mormylos) on the crest. Rendar notes that they were heavier units who carried a large shield (similar to the Roman legionnaire sword shield) and a short gladius sword. Beyond that, they had arm guards (manica), loincloths and belts, foot wrappings, and shin guards (ocrea).

    • Murmillones usually fought thraex or hoplomachus gladiators.
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    ParmulariusParmularius was actually a general term for any type of gladiator who used a small shield (parmula). They were essentially the opposite of scutarius, or gladiators wielding large shields. To make up for their smaller shields, parmularii wore two greaves (instead of one, like scutarii did).

    • Thracian gladiators would also have been considered pamularlii, as they only used small shields.
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    ProvocatorProvocator (“challenger”) gladiators were distinct for their heavy armor, as they were the only gladiators to wear breastplates (cardiophylax). In addition to that, they wore gear reminiscent of legionary armor, with a loincloth and belt, a left-leg greave, a right-arm manica (arm guard), and a visored helmet with feathers on either side. In terms of weaponry, they carried tall shields and a gladius.

    • Provocatores were notable for only ever fighting battles against other provocatores.
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    RetiariusThe term retiarius literally means “net-man.” Fittingly, Rendar says these gladiators fought with three-pointed tridents and nets. He notes that they didn’t wear helmets, but they did have gloves and a guard on their left arms (either leather, bronze, or padding). Their armor was light and also featured a shoulder guard, loincloth, belt, and possibly a short tunic; they didn’t have footwear.

    • Retiarii could also be equipped with daggers.
    • Rendar says the retiarii were often fan favorites because they didn’t wear helmets: spectators could recognize who individual fighters were, which helped them gain popularity. This often gave them an advantage.
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    RudiariusRudiarius was actually a term for retired gladiators (or, at the very least, gladiators given the option to retire). These gladiators had earned their freedom and been presented with a wooden sword or rod (called a rudis) to mark the achievement. However, some rudiarii chose to keep fighting—while others went on to become trainers or referees.
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    SagittariusThe sagittarius was, simply, a gladiator who fought with a bow and arrow (rather than blades). The term sagittarius—which you might recognize from astrology—was also the name for archers in Roman armies; sagittarii were archer regiments who fought as both infantry and cavalry units. Sagittarius is Latin for “archer.”
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    SamniteSamnites were a league of Italic tribes from Campania (a region of Italy). They fought three different wars with the Romans, and Samnite prisoners of war sometimes became gladiators. Samnite gladiators fought with arms and armor from their native region: a scutum (a long, rectangular shield), a short sword, a plumed helmet, and, most likely, a greave on their left leg.

    • Samnite gladiators were considered lucky because they had access to decent weapons and big, protective shields.
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    ScissorScissores were gladiators who used special short swords with semicircular blades, making them look a bit like hooks or, in some cases, open scissors. The term scissor is derived from the verb scindere, meaning “to cut.” In addition to their distinctive swords, scissores likely wore heavy armor, with full-face helmets.

    • The scissores' blades may also have been attached to a hard tube that encased their entire forearm, covering their hands (like a pirate with a hook for a hand).
    • For a closer look at notable gladiator weapons, check out our guide here!
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    ScutariusScutarius was another general term, this time referring to any type of gladiator using a large shield (scutum). Thus, some of the gladiator types discussed separately in this article would fall into the scutarius category, including the murmillo, samnite, and secutor.

    • Gladiators with a large shield would typically only wear one short protective greave, whereas gladiators with smaller shields wore two.
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    SecutorSecutores were specially-trained gladiators; their main purpose was to fight the retiarius (another type of gladiator described above). As such, secutores were given heavy armor and several weapons. Rendar says this mainly consisted of a curved sword and a smooth helmet. However, it could also include a tall, rectangular shield and a gladius sword.

    • The term secutor means “pursuer” or “chaser.” Secutores were similar to murmillo gladiators.
    • Secutores’ equipment was designed to help them fight retiarius, says Rendar. He notes that their smooth, rounded helmets cause the retiarius’ nets to slide off easier, making them less easy to catch. Their helmets also offered maximum coverage from retiarius’ tridents.
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    ThraexThe Thraex gladiators—otherwise known as Thracians—were armed in the Thracian style (with Thracians being a people from southeast Europe, including modern-day Bulgaria, North Macedonia, northern Greece, and European Turkey). This Thracian style included protective armor resembling that of the hoplomachi, with a protective belt, greaves, and a helmet with a side plume and visor.

    • Thraex gladiators also typically wielded small shields (parmula) and sica (short swords with curved blades).
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    VelesVeles gladiators likely fought on foot using a spear or sword and a small, rounded shield. The name veles or velites refers to “skirmishers,” and, in fact, lightly-armored Roman army units of skirmishers were also referred to as veles. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of information on these gladiators available beyond that vague description.
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Section 3 of 4:

About Gladiator Training

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1. 1
   Gladiators trained in schools called ludus gladiatorius. Ludus were managed by trainers who oversaw the day-to-day activities of their gladiators. The gladiators themselves—often comprised of enslaved people, prisoners of war—were totally at the mercy of their trainers and treated not as people, but as mere bodies. Regardless of where someone came from, they were essentially stripped of their legal and social status upon becoming a gladiator.

   • Early stages of training usually involved blunted weapons. Trainee gladiators would use wooden weapons that were blunted and heavy to avoid lasting injury (and build their endurance simultaneously).
   • This training was important to ensure that gladiators became fearsome and worthy opponents in battle.
   • Rendar says gladiators were fed a fat-heavy diet (like legumes and beans) to help them bulk up. He explains that the extra layers of fat would bleed more, but be less fatal, therefore giving them a natural layer of protection.
   • For this reason, Rendar says most gladiators had a “strongman” look.
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   Gladiators who proved themselves were sent to fight public matches. Just as gladiator training was intensive and carefully planned, so were the staged battles. Rendar says matches were chosen between gladiators so there wasn’t a clear-cut advantage, which made the fights more interesting and entertaining for people to watch. Once deemed ready, a gladiator might fight in a couple of matches a year…and, if they were lucky, they could make a name for themselves.

   • For instance, Rendar notes that a murmillo versus a retiarius wouldn’t be the best matchup, since the murmillo’s edged helmet would easily catch on the retiarius’ net.
   • Most gladiator battles weren’t fought to the death! Rather, losers could surrender and were granted mercy (missio), living to fight another day.
   • Some battles did indeed result in the loser’s death (sine missio, or “without mercy”), but these usually required special dispensation.
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Section 4 of 4:

Other Figures Associated with Gladiators

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1. Gladiators worked alongside referees, entertainers, and more. These personnel participated in gladiator matches in other ways besides fighting (or, in some cases, financed and hosted them). Notable positions associated with gladiators include:

   • Editor - Editors were essentially sponsors and producers who financed the gladiator battles.
   • Lanista - A lanista trained (and owned) gladiators. They would also trade gladiators amongst themselves and rent them out to editors organizing battles.
   • Lorarius - A lorarius was an attendant with a grim duty; it was their job to whip gladiators (or animals) who didn’t want to fight, to urge them on.
   • Paegniarius - The paegniarius was a type of entertainer who fought mock battles alongside gladiator matches (during breaks, for example). These entertainers would typically fight each other with blunted or mock weapons.
   • Rudis - A rudis was a referee (or possibly a referee’s assistant). They were named after a type of wooden staff called a rudis. In turn, senior referees were called summa (high) rudis.
   • Venator - The venator (hunter) was in charge of hunting wild animals—rather than fighting them, like bestiarii. They could also entertain audiences by doing tricks with trained animals.

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