Roman gladiator armor and helmets

Yesterday and today I uploaded a group of my images of gladiator helmets and armor that I photographed at various Pompeii exhibits to Wikimedia Commons and added a gallery of those images to the gladiator Wikipedia page. The images are now freely available for teaching, writing, and research.  Most of the equipment was found at the gladiator barracks in Pompeii although one of the most ornate pieces with a relief depicting scenes from the Trojan war was found in Herculaneum.

Roman gladiator helmet with relief depicting scenes from the Trojan War from Herculaneum
1st century CE

Roman gladiator shin guard depicting Hercules 1st century CE

Roman gladiator helmet with relief depicting scenes from the Trojan War from Herculaneum
1st century CE

Roman gladiator helmet with relief depicting scenes from the Trojan War from Herculaneum
1st century CE

Ornate Roman gladiator shin guards depicting Silenus and swans fighting serpents

Ornate Roman gladiator shin guards depicting Silenus and swans fighting serpents

Ornate Roman gladiator shin guards depicting Silenus and swans fighting serpents

Heart-shaped spear point found in Gladiator barracks in Pompeii 1st century CE

Roman gladiator shin guard depicting venus riding a dolphin-shaped ship 1st century CE

Iron gladiator helmet 1st century CE

Roman gladiator shin guard depicting Athena 1st century CE

Close up of Athena relief on Roman gladiator shin guard

Roman gladiator helmet depicting Priapus and entourage found in gladiator barracks in Pompeii 1st century CE

Roman gladiator helmet found in the gladiator barracks in Pompeii 1st century CE

Spear point found in gladiator barracks in Pompeii 1st century CE

Gladiator shin guard depicting Hercules 1st century CE

Closeup of gladiator shin guard depicting Hercules 1st century CE

Another gladiator shin guard depicting Hercules 1st century CE

If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!