The scissor (pl. scissores) was a
type of
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
gladiator. Very little is known about scissores besides the name, which means 'cutter, cleaver, render' (from ''scindo'').
German historian and experimental archaeologist
Marcus Junkelmann
Marcus Junkelmann (born 2 October 1949 in Munich) is a German historian and experimental archeologist.
Life and work
Junkelmann started to study history at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1971 and in 1979 he received a PhD for a thesis ...
has speculated, based on a possible image of a scissor, that this type of gladiator fought using a weapon consisting of a hardened steel tube that encased the gladiator's entire forearm, with the hand end capped off and a semicircular blade attached to it. A handle inside the tube might have allowed the gladiator to maintain control in the heat of battle. This weapon might have been both deadly and versatile; the gladiator could use his protected arm to block his opponent's blows and quickly counterattack, the shape of the blade being such that even the slightest touch could cause a serious wound.
[ Marcus Junkelmann, ''Das Spiel mit dem Tod. So kämpften Roms Gladiatoren''. ]Mainz am Rhein
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Main ...
, 2000, .
See also
*
List of Roman gladiator types
There were many different types of gladiators in ancient Rome. Some of the first gladiators had been prisoners-of-war, and so some of the earliest types of gladiators were experienced fighters; Gauls, Samnites, and ''Thraeces'' (Thracians) used ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scissor (Gladiator Type)
Gladiator types