Touching Gladiator funerary monument deciphered

[guy]

In a previous post, this gladiator funerary monument from Ephesus was mentioned:

Epitaph of Palumbus. In a framed field a relief representing a bearded, heavily-armed gladiator holding a palm branch; at right a dog; inscription on the frame below the relief:

Ὑµνὶς Παλούµβῳ | ἰδίῳ ἀνδρὶ µνείας | χάριν

I asked Dr. Thomas Scanlon, Professor Emeritus of Classics from the University of California, to take a closer look. Here is his reply below (with permission):

Quote

“Hymnis [female name: “Song Lady”] for Palumbus [“Dove” or “Pigeon"], her own husband, in him memory”.

 

So Hymnis is the wife of the gladiator Palumbus (the Greek dative form “Palumbo” means “for” him). He is a heavily armed Samnite gladiator, not a net-fighter as I first thought. His name may indicate his ability to evade the nets of net fighters (nets were used to catch birds), against whom the Samnites were often paired. The dog leaning on him then is a symbol of her fidelity to her spouse. The palm branch is most likely indicating victory— but not clear if that is for the combat in which he died (victor post-mortem?), or earlier victory or victories? It is not even clear if he died in a match, as one might reasonably assume, or from other causes.  The date of the monument is 2nd-3rd c AD.

 

Hymnis set up this somewhat expensive dedication, which is what impresses me. There are gladiator tombstones, but I know of no other one set up by a spouse (there may be one, just not known to me). I wonder about the source of the money for this woman to afford the memorial. Normally gladiators were not even citizens (or only rarely so). The wife’s name indicates to me that she herself may have been an entertainer. But was she paid? Or did his fans or manager afford the funds? Also noteworthy is the fact that the cemetery in Ephesus of the imperial age may have been dedicated to gladiators. We know this Roman spectacle had become quite popular in the eastern Mediterranean in this era, right alongside Greek sports, often in the same stadium or arena.

 

Thank you, Dr. Tom, for shedding light on this fascinating and touching funerary monument.

 

 

 

https://www.sciencebuzz.org/museum/ask/coleman/graveyard

Edited October 31, 2021 by guy

[caldrail]

Samnite was an earlier form of gladiator class that went out of fashion by the Principate, whilst the Retiarius was was imperial in origin. I'm not sure the two classes ever coincided. However, there are other possibilites. One is secutor, except the helmet is wrong. Another is hoplomachus but the shield is wrong. A Thraex? That possible, since we don't see weapon.

[caldrail]

Note that Palumbus was married. That suggests he was a volunteer gladiator. As such he might only have had one of two possible motives, firstly that he wanted fame and fortune as a fighter, but more likely, he was volunteering to pay off debt with his prize money. Someone in that position could be a member of a burial club, thus costs for his wife upon death would be reduced or waived. I am given to understand that among the familia of a gladiatorial troupe such burial clubs existed as well.