Hoplomachus

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A hoplomachus (left) fights a thraex (right) (Terracotta, British Museum)
A hoplomachus (left) fights a thraex (right) (Terracotta, British Museum)

A hoplomachos or hoplomachus (Greek, όπλομαχος, one who fights like a hoplite) was a type of gladiator in ancient Rome, armed in a parody of a Greek hoplite's weapons and armor (ie heavy armor and helmet, round shield). He was often pitted against the murmillo (armed like a Roman soldier), as a re-enactment of Rome's wars in Greece and the Hellenistic East.