Drawing of a gladiator
((:gladiator cum scuto et ferro et palo ad dext., provocator))
| Description of Drawing (English): | gladiator with shield and sword and prop, provocator |
|---|---|
| Findspot: |
Smyrna, Basilica
(Agora.1)
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| Drawing Category: | Gladiators |
| Writing Style: | charcoal |
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| Bibliography: | Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 301. Pfuhl, E. and H. Möbius. 1977. Die ostgriechischen Grabreliefs. Mainz am Rhein: vol. 2, no. 1202, p. 296). |
| Commentary: | Dipinto of a provocator, striding toward the right, located in the upper left quadrant of the back wall of Bay 29. Recognizable are the characteristic greave above the knee on the left leg, the manica (arm-guard) on the right arm, the visored helmet with a large horizontal neck-guard, and the indication of a short, crescent-shaped breastplate. The shield has the typical curved rectangular shape with a boss at the center. The gladiator is holding in his right hand a short sword with a straight blade. He is depicted in the act of walking toward another figure to his right. Considering the extreme stylization of such a figure, it is possibly meant to represent a palus carved in the rough shape of a human head and torso with which the provocator is training. The graffito is partially obliterated by a later graffito of a bird (see D29.10). The iconographic details of this gladiator find close comparison in a gravestone from Kos dated to the third century CE (Pfuhl and Möbius 1977: vol. 2, no. 1202, p. 296). |
| Suggested Citation: | AGP-SMYD00291, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <https://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYD00291> [accessed: 21 Nov 2024] |
| Contributions: |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
