Images

A Roman gladiator painted on a glass beaker from Roman Egypt, 1st century CE. It is part of the Begram Treasure group of artefacts from the 1st-2nd century CE, discovered in the area of Begram in Afghanistan, which includes a large number...

The "Colchester Vase" is a cremation vessel decorated with a continuous frieze depicting scenes relating to arena spectacles, including the combat between two gladiators named Memnon and Valentinus. Memnon is a well-armoured secutor gladiator...

This reconstructed piece of wall includes fragments of the original Roman fresco from Camulodunum (Roman Colchester) depicting gladiators. The figure on the right is a defeated murmillo gladiator. He has dropped his shield and has raised...

Bronze statuette of a hoplomachus, a type of gladiator in ancient Rome, armed to resemble a Greek hoplite (soldier with heavy armour and helmet, a round shield, a spear, and a sword). The hoplomachus wore a bronze helmet, a manica (armguard...

Roman mosaic panel depicting a contest between two combatants attacking one another with cudgels (short, thick sticks used as weapons) and a whip. The introduction to the gladiatorial contests consisted of a prolusio (prelude). The various...

A fresco panel depicting a hoplomachus fighting against a murmillo, from the Roman Villa of Mechern, dated to the 3rd century CE. Museum of Pre- and Early History, Saarbrücken, Germany.

Roman mosaic panel depicting a Thraex, or Thracian (left) fighting a murmillo (right), dated to the 3rd century CE. Römerhalle, Bad Kreuznach, Germany.

Fresco fragment with a gladiatorial scene (munus gladiatorium), from the Forum of Vesunna (Périgueux), 2nd century CE. Photo taken in 2015 at the Empire of Colour. From Pompeii to Southern Gaul exhibition at the Musée Saint-Raymond...

Fragment of a blue glass cup with a scene depicting a pair of gladiators fighting. The gladiators are identified by name in the Latin inscription above them: etraites (a murmillo) and Prudes (a Thracian), with part of the name of Proculus...

USS Bonhomme Richard, 1779. Copy of an artwork by F. Muller. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Naval History Photographs.