The murmillo (also sometimes spelled "mirmillo" or "myrmillo", pl. murmillones) was a type of gladiator during the Roman Imperial age. The murmillo-class gladiator was adopted in the early Imperial period to replace the earlier Gallus, named after the warriors of Gaul. As the Gauls inhabiting Italy had become well integrated with the Romans by the time of the reign of Augustus, it became undesirable to portray them as enemy outsiders; the Gallus-class gladiator thus had to be retired. Equipment and armaments The murmillo was armed with: Gladius: Roman sword with a length of 64–81 cm and weight of 1.2-1.6 kg with a handle made of bone. Scutum: Rectangular shield made of vertically connected wooden boards with a small bronze boss which protects the shield's handle. Balteus: Leather belt with metal decorations and supplements. Similar to current boxing belts. Manica: Segmented or scaled arm guard made of leather or some metal alloys. Manicae can also be mailed. Cassis Crista: A large helmet with plume crest or horsehair, usually made of bronze, with an ornate 'grill' face visor. Usually based on the broad-rimmed Greek Boeotian helmet. Ocrea: Shin guard/protector made of bronze, iron or other metals. Fasciae: Thick soft padding on legs which are used to wear ocreas in order to prevent calluses and blisters. Style The murmillo usually fought the thraex (Thracian) or hoplomachus, with whom he shared some of the equipment (notably arm guards and all-enclosing helmet, and the dangerous short sword). A number of ancient authors, including Valerius Maximus and Quintillian, assert that he also regularly fought the retiarius. It would certainly have been an unusual pairing, contrasting a heavily protected gladiator with a fast but lightly equipped one. It would have been rather appropriate however, to have the retiarius, depicting a fisherman, fighting a Murmillo depicting a fish or sea monster. This pairing is disputed; visual depictions of murmillones usually show them fighting the thraex or hoplomachus rather than the retiarius. However, Channel 4's Time Team discovered in Wales a carved penknife handle depicting a retiarius and a murmillo fighting. The murmillo's fighting style was suited for men with strong arms and shoulders due to carrying the weight of the shield, sword and heavy helmet. As a result, murmillones were usually tall and always very muscular. The murmillo depended on his strength and endurance to survive the battle against foes who were more suited to attacking. The tower