...The Thracians were a people who lived primarily in the modern day Balkans, and were conquered by Rome — basically “barbarians,” although that word just meant “foreigner.” Incidentally, Spartacus was a Thracian.

Now, the gladiator who’d wear a Thracian helmet wouldn’t necessarily be an actual Thracian. It was just the role they’d play in combat. They’d wear a helmet like this one and be armed with a curved sword called a “sica,”