The Thracian is perhaps the most popular gladiator and one of the most frequently depicted. Here he faces another specialty appreciated by spectators, the Murmillo. The first (on the left), armed with a sica in his right hand and a parma (small shield) on his left arm, and wearing arm and leg armor, faces the second, who, sporting his equally striking helmet, protects himself with a scutum and attacks with a short sword, his left leg covered by a greave. This was a duel that spectators enjoyed and looked forward to seeing at every munus.

For the book Gladiators. Courage in the Face of Death, by Fernando Lillo Redonet and María Engracia Muñoz-Santos (Desperta Ferro Ediciones. Madrid, Spain. 2024).