| This may not be the page you're looking for. Please see Gladiator (disambiguation) for other pages about a character or group known as Gladiator. |
A sagittarius ("archer", plural sagittarii) was a type of gladiator that fought as a mounted archer. They were considered somewhat elite in their profession and often better fed and taken care of compaired to their fellow gladiator. Being a sagittarius also required a lot skill as one had to be accurate enough to avoid hitting the spectators. Sagittarii were modled off the mounted auxillery troops used by the Roman army.
Sagittarii fought in mock battle against noxii, criminals and prisoners of war who were forced to fight as gladiators, a fight that was larely meant to be a showcase of the archer's skill and metaphorical of Rome's victories over its enemies. During these battles the amphitheatre would be adorned with rocks, trees, and bushes to provide cover to the noxii, giving them a bigger chance than they would have otherwise.
Matching the mounted warriors they were based on, the sagittarius wore light armor, either a chainmail or scaled armor and sometimes a pointed helmet.
Battle vs. Apache Warrior (by Appelmonkey)[]
TBW
Expert's Opinion[]
TBW