Hoplomachus

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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. The name hoplomachos also means 'armed fighter' and was only armed with a lance or spear and a sword called a gladius. The shield was as much a weapon as a sword or spear.