The Retiarius: Gladiatorial Combat and Net Fighting

For almost eight centuries until Emperor Honorius legally banned gladiatorial combat in 404 AD, the violent confrontations between gladiators, condemned criminals and even wild animals was one of the grandest spectacles of ancient Rome. There were many different types of gladiator, most of whom renowned for brute strength, heavy armour, and horrific weapons, but a retiarius brought a unique and tactical element to the gladiatorial games, relying on agility and strategy and armed with little more than a net and a trident.

With minimal protective gear and weapons more suited to fishermen, the trident and net gladiator class were often considered less honourable than other fighters. However, they were frequently successful in combat, even when facing a hostile crowd and limited support.

Let’s take a trip back to ancient Rome to discover the remarkable story of the retiarius, otherwise known as the net-man gladiator, including their unusual equipment, armour and clothing, their fighting technique, why they were often viewed with such disdain, and their most famous adversary, the secutor.

Translated as ‘net man’ or ‘net fighter’, retiarii became popular in the early years of the Roman Empire, around the middle of the first century AD. Their introduction marked a significant evolution in the brutal world of gladiatorial combat, showcasing a combat style that contrasted sharply with traditional gladiators.

The technique of a retiarius centred around entangling their opponent with a net before striking with a trident, aiming to exploit the vulnerabilities of heavily armed opponents. This method required both physical dexterity and keen tactical awareness, as the Roman net gladiator had to outmanoeuvre adversaries who were often far better protected.

Unlike the more heavily armoured gladiators like the murmillo, the dimachaerus, and the cestus, the retiarii were equipped with minimal protective equipment, consisting of a loincloth (subligaculum), a wide belt (balteus), an arm guard known as a manica on their left arm, and a shoulder guard called a galerus that also offered protection to the neck and lower face. Roman net gladiators didn’t wear helmets or head protection of any kind, and were usually barefoot. While this light armour gave them an advantage in speed, agility and mobility, there was almost no protection from the heavier weapons used by many of the other gladiator classes. In the later years of the Eastern Roman Empire – often called the Byzantine Empire – some retiarii are believed to have worn a manica made of chain mail.

Yet what truly set a retiarius apart from what may be deemed more traditional gladiators commonly depicted in films and imagery, is the weapons they used.

The Trident

The primary weapon was a three-pronged trident, known as a fuscina or rarely, a tridens, a type of polearm more typically used for fishing. Unlike the gladius, it wasn’t particularly useful for close-quarters combat and required special training to master, but once they did, it was lethally effective. Most opponents wore helmets with narrow eye slits to prevent the thrust of the trident, but the retiarii were clever. Low swings meant the opponent had to jump and tire himself out, and strikes to the ankle and foot could be painful and debilitating, restricting movement and speed. Once the opponent was weakened, the retiarius would go in for the kill.

The Net

The weapon that perhaps retiarii are most famous for is the rete, or weighted net, and it’s the reason they are known as trident and net gladiators. Usually made of a strong hemp rope, the net was believed to have been dotted with small lead weights to throw and spread the net more uniformly, and sometimes perhaps even had blades sewn into the sides. It’s thought the net could be fastened to the thrower’s wrist to make it easier to retrieve.

The design – speculative, since no examples and very few depictions survive – allowed a retiarius to throw the net over their opponent to tangle them up, restrict the movement of their arms and weapons, and leave them vulnerable to attack. It was also used as a defensive tool, creating a barrier between a retiarius and his opponent, buying the net fighter precious time to reposition themselves or prepare their next move.

Once the opponent was entangled, the retiarius would use their trident to deliver strategic strikes, taking advantage of the opponent’s compromised position as well as maintaining a safe distance while attacking.

The Dagger

Retiarii were also armed with a straight-bladed dagger known as a pugio, however there’s evidence from a grave marker in Romania that some of the Roman gladiators with net and trident may also have used a four-spiked dagger known as a quadrens.

Translated as ‘pursuer’, or ‘chaser’, the secutor class of gladiator were incredibly well protected and heavily armed, including the gladius and the classic Roman legionary shield known as the scutum. They wore a smooth round helmet – designed to be difficult to snare with a net – which was adorned with a stylised version of a fish.

They were sometimes also referred to as contraretiarii, or ‘those against the net-man gladiator’.

This heavy armour and limited vision symbolised brute strength and aggression, emphasising direct and forceful combat. This was in direct contrast with the more passive style of a retiarius.

The secutor’s fighting style focused on close-quarters combat, aiming to overpower opponents with their superior protection and powerful strikes. In contrast, a retiarius relied on agility, speed, and strategic use of their net and trident to keep the heavily armoured secutor at a distance and exploit their limited mobility. The matchup between these two gladiator types highlighted the classic conflict between heavy power and light, tactical finesse, and it was a much anticipated pairing in the arenas of ancient Rome.

Despite the fact that retiarii were highly skilled, tactically astute, and brutally effective warriors with a high success rate, they were, perhaps unfairly, considered low rank, inferior gladiators. This was due to a combination of their minimal armour, distinctive weapons, and their perceived fighting style. They were given the smallest rations and lived in the worst barracks.

Their lack of major weaponry and protective gear contrasted sharply with the heavily armoured gladiators, leading to perceptions of them being somehow less brave or less capable of enduring the physical hardships of combat. The fact that they relied on speed, ability and mobility was considered undignified compared to the stand-up, blow versus blow fights of the other gladiator classes.

It’s even been argued as to whether such a Roman gladiator with net and trident was seen as a gladiator at all, on the basis that – technically – gladiators fought with a gladius, the famous sword, but that’s a debate that rages on.

It was also said that Emperor Claudius, who ruled in the first half of the first century AD, further shamed the losing retiarii by putting them to death in front of spectators so their pained expressions could be seen by the baying crowds. However this appears to be more anecdotal than a documented practice.

There may have been an even lower subclass of retiarius who were forced to wear tunics, known as retiarii tunicati, and they were kept apart from the other gladiators in the training schools and even in prison, for fear of reprisals.

Roman historian Suetonius, author of the seminal work The Twelve Caesars, wrote that ‘’such tunic-wearing net-men may have served as comic relief in the gladiatorial programming.’

Regardless of their lowly rank, the retiarii were popular in the first three centuries of the Roman Empire. This may be due to the fact that their faces were visible and so the fighters were somehow humanised. A few specific names of Roman net gladiators have even survived within historic accounts. One such example was Montanus, whose name was found in a mosaic on the wall of the Villa dei Quintili, just past the fifth milestone on the Via Appia Antica, suggesting he earned his fame with a series of victories.

The trident and net gladiator stands out as a fascinating and unique class within the world of ancient Roman combat, characterised by their distinctive weapons, minimal armour, and strategic fighting style. Despite being regarded as inferior due to societal biases favouring brute strength and heavy weapons, a retiarius demonstrated exceptional skill and tactical prowess and could perform well against more heavily armoured opponents.

Their encounters with secutors provided thrilling spectacles that highlighted the contrast between agility and power, and the legacy of the retiarii – with their blend of ingenuity and dexterity – offers a compelling glimpse into the diverse and complex nature of gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome.