Gladiator battles revealed in ancient graffiti

Hundreds of graffiti messages have been found in the ancient city of Aphrodisias, shedding light on what life was like there 1,500 years ago.

Some of the most interesting gladiator graffiti was found on a plaque in the city’s stadium where gladiator fights took place. The plaque depicts battles between two combatants: a retiarius (a type of gladiator armed with a trident and net) and a secutor (a type of gladiator equipped with a sword and shield).

One scene on the plaque shows the retiarius emerging victorious, holding a trident over his head, the weapon pointed toward the wounded secutor. On the same plaque, another scene shows the secutor chasing a fleeing retiarius. Still another image shows the two types of gladiators locked in combat, a referee overseeing the fight.

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Story: Owen Jarus, LiveScience | Photo: Nicholas Quiring, Angelos Chaniotis