Gladiators

Murmillo Notes

The Mirmillo was also called the fish man. It was identified by images of scales on his helmet. He used a short sword and carried a big, round shield that protected his unarmored legs. He often had to fight against a Retiarius. It is kind of ironic, because Retiarius' tried to catch their opponent in a net! Although he looks unprotected, the Romans classified him as a "heavy" gladiator because of his large shield.

http://abacus.bates.edu/~mimber/Rciv/gladiator.htm
Retariius typically fought a "Gallic" gladiator (also called a murmillo) who wore a rectangular shield and a visored helmet decorated with a fish (murmillo) or a Samnite

http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/gladiatr/types.htm
While "Gaul" and "Samnite" disappeared, but the former may have been the model for the later secutor and murmillo.

http://www.comm.unt.edu/histofperf/amandajo/glad3.htm
The Gaul (Murmillo), the Thracian, and the Samnite all represented the very barbarians Rome had vanquished, confirming to Romans what they wanted to hear - that Rome was the very center of the world it had conquered.