These illustrations of gladiatorial combat are from the Massimi Mosaic, which was found in Rome.

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These illustrations of gladiatorial combat are from the Massimi Mosaic, which was found in Rome and is now housed in Madrid's National Library. The dress and armor are not completely accurate, but they offer a glimpse of such combat in the time of the Romans. The bottom frame shows the beginning of a fight between Astianax (a "secutor") and Kalendio (a "retiarius"). The Greek letter after Kalendio's name represents the Greek word "thanatos" and indicates that Kalendio died in the fight. The top frame shows the end of the fight. The other figures in the frames are the umpires.

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Size: 3684px × 3900px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, arena, astianax, athletes, athletics, calendio, combat, contact, dead, fighting, gladiator, gladiatorial, gladiators, kalendio, massimi, mosaic, retiarius, roman, rome, secutor, sports, thanatos, world