Drawing of a gladiator
((:gladiator cum scuto, provocator))
| Description of Drawing (English): | gladiator with shield, 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): 285. |
| Commentary: | Dipinto of a provocator, located in the upper right quadrant of the back wall of Bay 28. The man is portrayed in profile, in the act of advancing toward the left. Most of his body is covered by the shield, which is rendered with several thick black streaks. The man’s balteus is easily recognizable. The head is completely covered by a helmet that descends to protect the neck and the shoulder with a broad rounded neck-guard. This helmet type, characterized by a broad downward-slanting neck-guard and visor, is identical to the one represented on a third-century funerary stele purchased in Smyrna and possibly coming from one of the city’s ancient necropoleis (see Robert 1940: no. 210, pl. VI; Petzl 1974: 289–90, no. 5; and Frisch and Geissen 1980). |
| Suggested Citation: | AGP-SMYD00287, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <http://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYD00287> [accessed: 19 Apr 2024] |
| Contributions: |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
