Why Didn't Roman Legionaries Use Gladiator Helmets? 

Short answer: They were expensive and uncomfortable to carry around when not in battle. For the same reason they didn't used musculatas or manicas en masse. Yet, as always, great analysis with lots of wonderful information and good arguments.

One thing that people forget about legions is that they were generalists, a legionary was a soldier, a farmer, a construction worker, a messenger and should do everything himself with the armor. A medieval man at arms had squires, and was not supose to do a lot o things by himself.

"If you're interested in gladiatorial classes" Teach us, Aniki

I'd suspect also that Romans were far more likely to be fighting in hot climates than more northerly European knights, so the overheating problem would be worse for them. Also the legions were on foot where the fully visored knights were more likely to be on horse back, so travelling with a heavier helm would have been harder. Even fashion could have been an influence as legionaries might have been reluctant to look like gladiators.

Metatron, I would like to challenge you to a game of warhammer at some point in the future

Admittedly I came to your channel 6 years ago for your videos on gladiators for a literary costume production for university and have been enjoying the educational and informative content since.

I’m glad that you were able to still upload after being hacked you are the best RU-vidr in RU-vid and hello from the invicta community 1st comment

About the hearing of the centurions commands during battle: propably when shouted a command, the man next to him repeated and shouted it too, and the next and the man so everybody could hear it. That's a common practice in the modern Finnish army, most likely the Romans did so too.

A shorter version of what Metatron said. Legionnaires did not wear gladiator helmets because they were not gladiators. They did not fight one on one in a controlled,prepared space where the only thing to hear was the crowd, for only a few minutes of a time. Legionnaires faced the exact opposite conditions and their equipment was made accordingly.

The segmentata still looks pristine. Good job legionnaire. -your local centurion

Hi Metatron, the Gladiator helmet from Pompeii you show at the start of the video - handled by the museum curators - is most certainly a Murmillo! The Armaturae were somewhat distinct by the crest designs, so the Thraex always has a more rounded crest, with a Griffin head at the front - as the helmet developed out of the Hellenistic Thracian helmet in the shape of a Phrygian cap. The Murmillo and Hoplomachus helmets however developed out of the Attic/Macedonian helmet with a more angled crest, and that is why the helmets with a fin-shaped crest are always shown worn by these Armaturae. Also Gladiator helmets do not have faceplates, but the face protection essentially developed out of two big cheek-pieces that grew large enough to meet in front of the face. Next the open eye holes get covered by grills and then the grills get larger for better breathing. But even in the Berlin Murmillo helmet, you see that there are still two grills meeting in front and two small plates to protect the throat under them, which are the remants of the former cheek pieces. Also, while the Murmillo was the initial opponent of the Retiarius, the Secutor helmet evolved out of the Gallus/Essedarius who was another Armatura that was initially put up against the Retiarius. So you are right in a way that the net was effective against the Murmillo, but this obviously unbalanced the fight to much in favour of the Retiarius, so to make the fight fair again, the Secutor needed to be developed. And from experience, fighting as a Retiatrius, I can tell you the trident is a very effective weapon ;-) More on the topic can be found on my Facebook "Gladiator Research" group. The points you made are of course valid, but note that even the later Roman Milites have the Niederbieber type of helmet that also features enlarged cheek pieces and better protection of the face, mimicking the Gladiator helmet development somewhat. But of course, vision, breathability and also very importantly weight, prevented these from featuring even better protection. As you mentioned even in medieval times visors were mostly used by cavalry - though sometimes dismounted - while dedicated infantry still mainly used open faced designs.

Considering equipment in the Emperial times had to be supplied by the state i'd think price was also a factor.

Always had a soft spot for the closed gladiator helmets. They make the wearer look menacing and inhuman. With legionaire helmets you still see a human face. A human, although well trained, can still bleed, feel terror and meet their death. But the gladiator helmets make the wearer resemble a monster.

I had this question in my head for a long time, just remembered that I had this question when I read the title! And you are giving the answer, that sir is an honorable moment for me.

Listen to that perfect Latin pronunciation! 🤩 Italians do it best (or at least this one does!) 🇮🇹 Super interesting. Thanks very much!

As far as I've seen, the interest in gladiator still exists, although when people discuss it or even make a movie out of it, it ends up being overexaggerated and inaccurate. A video in which you go over the classes and the history of the evolution of gladiators as a profession would be worth seeing.

I think gladiator gear is like sports uniform, they are made to look impressive while playing

I have some more speculation: a soldier's face being in full view of the centurio means they could be personally adressed and held accountable for their actions and wouldn't be able to hide behind a helmet. Considering how highly valued discipline was in the Roman army, that seems to make sense.

I like your high elf bolt thrower and brettonian green knight. Reminds me of the best days of warhammer fantasy

"He's a centurion, he's leading 80 men." This makes me uncomfortable. In all seriousness, regarding the soldiers not being able to hear the centurion. Didn't the Romans use some kind of 'musical' instruments and gave the instructions in code?

You’re the greatest historian in world history Metatron!!! Glad you still have your channel! Keep on clapping those historical cheeks!!!!!

Are those high elves behind you on the shelf?...if so that is an elf on the shelf I can get behind...great video Sir.

I've often wondered if many gladiatorial helmets were designed to obscure the face as an effort to dehumanize the combatants. It's harder to cheer for death and dismemberment when someone looks out and yells, "OH MY GOD, COUSIN JIMMY!! SOMEBODY STOP THE FIGHT!!"

Wasn't the Murmillo helmets sometimes purposefully designed to be easier to entangle in the net of a retiarius? I seem to recall that the classes of Murmillo and Retiarius was intended to show a kind of dramatic struggle between a fisherman and a sea monster. Hence why the Retiarius was armed with a trident and a net (fishermans tools) and some Murmillo helmets were decorated to resemble a fish head with scales.

I'd like the gladiator class video. A vid about the Roman military's structure would be good as well.

YES!! I want you to make that video on gladiators! They've always been a subject of particular interest to me, so the more gladiatorial content on this channel, the better!

I believe the real reason is the legionaires AND phalangists main protection comes from the shields (see Matt Easton) used in mass formations which protect your face and in formation hearing and breathing are more important than in one vs one fighting is a very different situation which involves individual skills vs formation fighting in which one's fellows are part of your defence!

The other day I re-watched the old gladiator videos and had the same question of why they wouldn't use the helmet designs for the legions. And a few days later you upload this video answering exactly that. lol

14:54 - 16:24 So that's why Italians speak with their hands.

I am most interested in the Roman history in general, though the gladiators have all my attention. I would love to learn everything about them! Thanks for another great video! Much love from the Netherlands! 🤗

Wow i've been gone for a while and i guess he changes outfits now too ... cool very cool and interesting vids

You asked whether we would be interested in a newer gladiatorial video. I'm not the one to ask as I love all your videos anyway. Thanks for all you do, mate.

Maybe some general said "OK, lets give some troops gladiator helmets, blunt weapons, and see how well will they fight against troops with regular helmets?"

I love how you add the little things like how they wore the helmets while marching. It's things that really help understanding how much had to be taken into consideration when designing weapons and armor and how well thought out the Roman military was.

I wanna be able to pronounce Augustus’s full name like he says one day haha

You're answering the question that popped into my head once and then buried them deep. Thanks man.

Another reason could be that, not only you cannot hear or see well, but your centurion or decanus cannot recognize you very easy. As a army that is organized as much, as the roman military is, this seems important to me.

Your first Gladiator video helped me to understand gladiatorial combat and roles alot.

Metatron: Secutor was heavy armored. Crupellarius: Am I a Joke To You?

I would absolutely be interested in more gladiator-focused videos! I'd love to learn about how the different "classes" originated, which could be considered the earliest types, which were the longest-lasting, etc.

I've often wondered why nasel guards were never adopted, as we see in the early Middle Ages.

Yes. please give us a video round-up about all Roman gladiator classes. I really like your style of explanation. Thanks!

How to hear what the Centurion commands? Everybody in the unit repeats the command Why no visor for legionary? Shield wall should be enough Why gladiator helmet were big and showy? It’s a show. In big Colosseum and other Arenas, audience sees then better and they look more menancing

I did a school project explaining gladiators when I was in middle school, this is the part of roman history that I'm most knowledgeable of. I love that my young self actually did his research.

Also I imagine the murmillo or secutor helmets Would be very effective for the front rank of legionnaires, but it wouldn't be practical for carrying and maintaining in war on campaign, or hearing orders in battle

Definitely do more on gladiators! That part of historical sports entertainmet is incredibly fascinating and horribly shrouded in myths.

Why didn’t medieval knights use AK-47s?

You're gladiator types and classes video remains one of my favourites, so you have my vote for more info :)

Metatron, I've got an interesting question for you. In a fantasy setting, would late medieval style swords really look the same way they do in our real world? In the real world, western swords started to resemble a cross as a form of Christian iconography, and we can see that in cultures that didn't have christianity, cross guards did not develop as large as they do in christianized society where the sword resembled a cross. My question is what would advanced swords look like in a fantasy setting with fantasy gods, where christianity is not present? Would the cross guards still be large? Would they not? I'm curious to see what other people think.

Please continue teaching us about Gladiator combat and classes!!

I really find the murmillo helmet epic and I wonder if a less ornamented, smaller, simpler design would work on a fantasy warrior. I really want to know how well can you see with a grill. it just looks so inhuman, I love it. also that kettle hat thing he has, it looks like it could give you shade from the sun

Looking forward to the video about cavalry helmets.

Over-specialized sports equipment is not necessarily the best for general issue. A formula 1 race car is too specialized if you need a family car to go to work and do your shopping.

Thanks for this historical video! Can't wait for the video about the equites and their helmets. :D

dedicated vidoes for Gladiators and their ckasses would be awsome, i cant wait for you to preduce them :)

Another great video metatron! Love watching your videos on armor and the romans. Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing what's next! :)

People like to forget that the roman soldier was wearing his armor pretty often

Those folding cheek-plates are a fantastic bit of roman design! Folding them up and keeping them strung around your chest is genius

I had wondered that every so often for years, Then I tried out both helmets in sparring, and I get it.

I think that open faced helmets were preferred also because they are way more convenient in missile combat. And legionaries spent a lot of time in battle throwing things at their enemies. You kinda need this unobstructed vision to judge the distance, choose targets and ability to breath free also helps with the exertion of throwing.

Hey Metatron,I wanted to know did Emperor Aurelian wear a face mask

I'd watch another video of the gladiators, for sure. I think it's a pretty cool topic to learn about, like what all the classes were, who were the well known gladiators and what did the first gladiators equipment look like. Also it would be cool to see how the colosseum functioned, like how did they get animals in there, where did the gladiators enter, and who knows what else. I also heard that they had naval battles in the arena too, there's a lot of stuff to learn about, I'm sure.

Who was the one that put dislike onto this. I curse upon you.

Gladiator: *Muffled yelling* Soldier: What? Gladiator: *Muffled yelling with hand gestures* Soldier: I can’t-Just take off your helmet! Gladiator: *Removes helmet* I was telling you, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Metatron.

Murmillo sounds like another italian cheese type

Thanks for a great video. Armour is always a compromise between absolute protection and practicality. The history of the development of the Roman army was always adaption and innovation.

That one dislike be like: *"I don't like fun"*

A dedicated gladiator video would be nice. I surely wouldn't mind, gladiatorial combat is pretty interesting by itself, and getting all the types of gladiators explained in detail as well only adds to the quality of the video, if it ever happens that is.

Did Romans use whistles on the battlefield?

Life is weird ... was thinking of Gina and KK in a gladiator fight to settle SW issues ... then wonder about gladiators gear ... and I find this :) Great channel, nice explanations, would love a "gladiator class" compilation for sure.

1:15 You talk about cheek plates generally only being used by the Romans. However I am pretty sure that the Gallic and Greeks used them as well. For example the Thracian and Phrygian helmets used by the armies of Alexander the Great had them. Pretty much every helmet into the Hellenic Greek age featured them.

Knowledge is a drug and I can't stop binge watching your content

Because you can only show off so far. Gladiator helmet was too much.

Very interesting! I love seeing more info on helmets and gladiators

Looks too heavy to fight for several hours, too cumbersome to march 30 or 50 km per day.

Really enjoyed this video, anything further you have about Gladiators would be most appreciated Metatron. I think you're pretty much right on with your arguments, great content as always... "We, who are about to die, salute you!" ;-)

First?

Allways had this question, thank you! Greeting from Argentina!!

I agree. when I'm fencing or when I'm fighting with shanai, we have to wear a special helmet that has a cage in front and padding. It gets so hot. It also takes a lot of time during training to get used to seeing through the tiny holes. As a sword fighter it makes sense to me that aside from visual and comfort that open helmets allow for them to be able to fight longer

Solid comprehensive breakdown 👍👍

Yes!!! Definently make more videos about the different gladiator classes!

Thank you professor! Another interesting video!

I’ve never seen the Roman cavalry masks like you showed there! I’m looking forward to your video on them!

Your channel is awesome. So much insight

One of my favorite games on PS2 was Gladius. It was basically a "Roman Legionaire/ Gladiator meets Final Fantasy Tactics" style game. Also, "Shadow or Rome" was also an amazing Gladiator game on Ps2. Back when gameplay was more important that pretty graphics.

THANK YOU ! it's been a while I was wondering

That slab of metal on the back of the coolus helmet wasn't just to defend the back of the neck. It's when you react and flinch away from a blow, the metal would swing around and provide protection where there were be a gap between the neck and body armor. A samurai helmet shikoro would do the same thing.

A question i never asked. However, very interesting as always. Great video Metatron.

Ohh man I'd love to see an updated gladiator class video!!!

Great Video. I am looking forward to watch a video about those cavalry helmets.

Thumbnail is looking really good

It’s incredible how this man makes the public schooling system seem like a child’s book. RU-vid will forever be in my homeschooling curriculum.

I would absolutely love a comprehensive video of all the known gladiator classes.

I would personally LOVE any more videos about gladiators! Trainings, food, lifestyle anything I can never get enough 😆

Thank you so much for these videos about gladiators, I would defienetly love to see more.

Definitely interested in more information regarding gladiators, metatron. Thank you as always

Great video! I like this assumption that in the end gladiators were about show, ok not the show but well-directed performance of trained warriors sometimes deadly and always costy. While legionaries were closer than others to the regular army concept, with unified equipment and weapons, and considering broad number of tasks that they did it does make sense have a lighter and more compact helmet to be able to carry all other stuff and still be prepared for a combat, building or passing long distances. What also I also noticed that Thracian helmet fully exposed with cheekplates looks pretty similar to the early version of Roman helmets. So it looks like they got a plenty of inspiration from Greeks back then :)

Yes, please, make a video about different gladiator 'classes'! :)

Also gladiators usually fought 1v1 so your opponent is directly in front of you. A closed helmet limits your peripheral vision which again isn't a problem in a 1v1 but in a battlefield with potentially multiple opponents.

This was a great video but I couldn't help being distracted by your nice High Elves and Bretonnians on the shelf behind you (great Green Knight, BTW) 😉