Reconstruction of murmillo’s gladiator helmet

Reconstruction of the murmillo’s helmet (gladiator type), on which scenes of the siege of Troy are visible. The helmet was made of bronze and the object was made by Sabatino de Angelis. The reproduction is currently in the Naples Museum.

The murmillo’s helmet was shaped like a mormylos fish, hence the name of the gladiator type. The shape of the armor suggests that it was more ornate. What’s more, murmillo in the arena often acted against the “netmaster” (retiarius) because of differences in armament – the “netmaster” was slightly armed and agile when murmillo was heavily armored and slow. The back of the helmet made it easier for the retiarius network to attach.