Vivid depictions of gladiators fighting on a clay vase are the first concrete evidence these fighters fought in Roman Britain, according to new research.
The vessel, known as the Colchester Vase, is well known to scholars; it was discovered in a Roman-era tomb in Britain in 1853 and contains the cremated remains of a person. However, nothing was known of the deceased, and it was unclear whether the vase was made locally or in mainland Europe, where gladiator fights were known to entertain audiences in the Roman Empire.
A forthcoming study, however, has revealed that the vase was made with local clay in remembrance of a specific match in the 2nd century AD, giving researchers unprecedented insight into sporting events in the outskirts of Europe. empire.
Related: A bloody, defeated gladiator drips in a macabre fresco discovered in Pompeii
The town of Colchester, where the vase was found, is located in the southeast of England, about 100 kilometers from London. In Roman times, it was known as Camulodunum (opens in a new tab) and had three theatres, as well as the only tank racecourse in Britain. In the second century AD, Camulodunum was a large city with a thriving pottery industry.
Measuring 9 inches (23 centimeters) high and weighing over 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram), the Colchester Vase depicts three scenes of gladiators with three types of fighters: human-human, human-animal, and animal-animal. In one scene, the “bestiarii” (beast fighters), labeled Secundus and Mario, fight a bear, while in another, Memnon and Valentinus fight as “secutor” (hunter) and “retiarius” (man with net), a fight that pits a lightly armed man against another with a trident and a net, as a metaphor of the fisherman and his prey. Valentinus is described as part of the 30th Legion, which was stationed in northwest Germany, and Memnon is annotated with the Roman numeral VIIII, meaning he fought and survived nine times.
Due to the complexity of the decoration, it was long thought that the vase could not have been made in Britain (opens in a new tab). But a growing body of evidence from the pottery industry in Colchester enabled the research team to identify the vase as a locally made vessel dating from 160-200 AD.
Close examination of the inscription, previously believed to have been created after the pot was fired, “shows that it was made when the clay was soft, after the decoration had been applied”. John Pearce (opens in a new tab)member of the research team and senior lecturer in archeology at King’s College London, said in an email to Live Science.
The vase was probably created as a type of memorial cup which was later reused as a cremation urn.
The detailed reproduction of gladiatorial scenes on the Colchester Vase reflects “the choice of a key moment in the proceedings,” Pearce said. “The inscription helps make it a special keepsake and likely echoes the kind of hype that characterized the build-up to the fight, such as placards emblazoned with fighters’ names.”
Scientific analysis of the cremated bones revealed that they were the remains of a sturdy man who was over 40 when he died. His teeth showed that he was not from Colchester but rather from the South West of England, or perhaps from beyond the British Isles. But he was not one of the gladiators mentioned on the vase. “We don’t think there’s a good reason to make the remains of an artist,” Pearce said.
steven tuck (opens in a new tab)a professor of history and classics at the University of Miami in Ohio who was not involved in this study, told Live Science in an email that “the cremated individual could have been a fan gladiators in general or one gladiator in particular”.
The use of the gladiator vase as an urn, however, may suggest an even more personal connection. “I think it’s more likely that he was associated with this event in some way,” Tuck said. “Since we know some of the trainers were ex-gladiators themselves, he could easily have been a retired gladiator who was still involved in the show.”
With its gladiator themes and locally sourced clay, the Colchester Vase is an outstanding example of Roman-style games set in a remote part of the empire. Given the lack of written descriptions of events like these in Britain, the Colchester Vase provides conclusive evidence that gladiator fights took place there and that people took memories of their adventures home with them. .
“To identify evidence that gladiator fights probably took place here in Colchester 2,000 years ago is incredibly exciting,” the Colchester adviser said. Pam Cox (opens in a new tab) said in a statement. “We are grateful to all the researchers who have helped uncover this and other secrets of the vase.”
The Colchester vase will be presented in a gladiator exhibition (opens in a new tab) at Colchester Castle from July 15.