Samnite ( gladiator type ) A Samnite ( Latin Samnis , plural Samnites ) was a Roman gladiator who fought with equipment styled on that of a warrior from Samnium : a short sword ( " gladius " ) , a rectangular shield ( " scutum " ) , a greave ( ocrea ) , and a helmet . Warriors armed in such a way were the earliest gladiators in the Roman games . They appeared in Rome shortly after the defeat of Samnium in the 4th century BC , apparently adopted from the victory celebrations of Rome ' s allies in Campania . By arming low - status gladiators in the manner of a defeated foe , Romans mocked the Samnites and appropriated martial elements of their culture . Samnites were quite popular during the period of Roman Republic . Eventually , other gladiator types joined the roster , such as the Gaul and the Thracian . Under the reign of Emperor Augustus , Samnium became an ally and integral part of the Roman Empire ( all Italians had by this point gained Roman citizenship ) . Around this time , the Samnite gladiator fell out of favour , probably because insulting the Samnites was no longer seen as acceptable behaviour . The Samnite was replaced by similarly armed gladiators , including the " hoplomachus " and the " secutor " . History and role . The Samnite was named for the people of Samnium , an area in the southern Apennine Mountains of the Italian peninsula that Rome subdued in the 4th century BC . Rome fought three wars with Samnium from 343 to 290 BC . Livy ( 9 . 40 ) relates that after Rome defeated Samnium and Molise in 308 BC , Rome ' s allies , the Campanians , confiscated Samnite arms and armour as spoils of war . They outfitted ceremonial warriors with the equipment and staged mock combats at their celebratory banquets : The war in Samnium , immediately afterwards , was attended with equal danger and an equally glorious conclusion . The enemy , besides their other warlike preparation , had made their battle - line to glitter with new and splendid arms . There were two corps : the shields of the one were inlaid with gold , of the other with silver … The Romans had already learned of these splendid accountrements , but their generals had taught them that a soldier should be rough to look on , not adorned with gold and silver but putting his trust in iron and courage … The dictator , as decreed by the senate , celebrated a triumph , in which by far the finest show was afforded by the captured armor . So the Romans made use of the splendid armor of their enemies to do honor to the gods ; while the Campanians , in consequence of their pride and in hatred of the Samnites , equipped after this fashion the gladiators who furnished them entertainment at their feasts , and bestowed on them the name of Samnites . Rome ' s own gladiatorial contests began some 40 years later . The Samnite , borrowed from the Campanians , was the earliest of the gladiator types and the model upon which later classes were based . The Samnite gladiators were also the first of at least three gladiator classes ( " list of Roman gladiator types " ) to be based on ethnic antecedents ; other examples were the Gauls and the Thracians . These gladiators fought with the signature war equipment and in the martial style of ethnic groups who had been conquered by Rome , thus appropriating their source culture for the mocking milieu of the Roman games . Gladiators who fought as any particular type did not necessarily hail from that ethnic background ; the tombstone of a gladiator named Thelyphus is careful to point out that he fought as a Samnite but was really a Thracian . Samnite gladiators appear quite frequently in Roman art work . Other gladiator classes were added to the roster over the years , and some of these used similar gear , especially plumed helmets , adding to the difficulty of positively identifying Samnites . Roman spectators perceived gladiators as more masculine and honourable if they were more heavily armed and armoured . Thus , the Samnite , one of the heavier types , was an impressive sight with a fierce appearance . The Samnite may have been the first gladiator to be pitted against the " retiarius " , a gladiator who fought with the gear of a fisherman and who was viewed as effeminate due to his light armaments . Accordingly , some " retiarii " may have trained as Samnites to improve their status . Gladiators who fought with a rectangular shield and sword , such as the " provocator " , were said to be " armed in the Samnite manner " . Such gladiators remained popular until the end of the gladiatorial games . Samnite gladiators appear often in Roman texts ( they are the gladiators most often mentioned in Roman writings ) until the early Imperial period . A likely possibility is that the Samnite went out of favour during the reign of Augustus when Samnium became an ally of Rome . As the real Samnites became fully integrated into Roman society , the gladiator based upon them was retired . At this time , similar classes , the " hoplomachus " , " murmillo " , and the " secutor " first appear in texts . It seems that the Samnite became specialized into these classes , although the means by which this happened is unclear . The Samnite and its successors all fought with a footsoldier ' s sword and shield . The only clear distinguishing characteristics are that the " secutor " almost exclusively fought the net - and - trident - wielding " retiarius " , and the " hoplomachus " used a taller shield . Arms and armour . Although individual gladiators of a single class might fight with widely different gear , in general , the Samnite fought in the gear of a warrior from Samnium : a short sword ( " gladius " ) , a rectangular shield ( " scutum ( shield ) " ) , a greave ( " ocrea " ) , and a helmet . The helmet had a crest , a rim , a visor , and a plume ( " galea " ) ; this last element gave " an imposing appearance " . The Samnite ' s greave was worn on the left leg and reached to just below the knee . It was made of leather and sometimes had a metal rim . He also wore an ankleband on the right ankle . The Samnite ' s sword arm was protected by an arm guard ( " manica " ) ; this became a common piece of equipment for most gladiators . The sword was the Samnite ' s most common weapon ( the word " gladiator " comes from the Latin " gladius " , " sword " ) , but some seem to have fought with a lance instead . In addition to this gear , real Samnite warriors wore a cuirass over the chest and had a shield that tapered at the bottom and flared at the top to better protect the chest and shoulders .