SA0242 Gladiator Helmet

Gladiator Helmet
This Helm is Made from 16 ga. polished carbon steel. Has a nice, fully adjustable
leather lining. Includes an adjustable leather chin strap.
There were many different types of gladiators in ancient Rome. Some of the first
gladiators had been prisoners-of-war, and so some of the earliest types of
gladiators were also very good at fighting, Gauls, Samnites, and Thraeces
(Thracians) used their native weapons and armor. Different gladiators specialized
in different weapons, and it was usual to pair off combatants with widely
different, but more or less equivalent, equipment. As a rule gladiators only fought
others from within the same school or Ludus, but sometimes specific gladiators
could be requested to fight one from another Ludus.Forensic studies have shown
that as a rule gladiators fought to strict rules and barefooted.Elite gladiators wore
specially made armour for the pre-game parade (Pompa). Julius Caesar’s gladiators
wore solid silver armour, Domitian’s wore solid gold and Nero’s wore armour
decorated with carved amber. Peacock feathers were used for plumes while tunics
and loincloths had patterns in gold thread. The gladiators changed into their
combat armour for the actual fights although even the simplest were elaborately
decorated. Reliefs and mosaics often show gladiators with various numbers of
tassels  hanging from one arm or leg. The reason for their use is unknown and
historians speculate that they may have served as a “scorecard”, indicating the
number of fights a gladiator had won.