Divers exploring a river surrounding a Roman fortress and settlement in England have discovered a piece of pottery depicting the rear of a gladiator wielding a whip and wearing only a loincloth.
This is the first known cool illustration of Roman warriors. It adds evidence that the Romans viewed gladiators not only as brave fighters but also as sexual symbols.
Analyst Philippa Walton from Cambridgeshire, England, stated: “This is a broken piece of a drinking vessel made in England in the 3rd century AD. It depicts a man wearing a loincloth and holding a whip – representing a gladiator.”
“There are also images depicting gladiators on drinking vessels that are quite provocative. However, there has been no imagery showing warriors wearing only a loincloth,” Walton added.
The pottery fragment was found in the River Tees in the town of Piercebridge, County Durham, England. Gladiators were trained warriors who entertained the ancient Romans. The whip was just one of the weapons they used. Gladiators also carried short curved swords, nets, daggers, tridents, and other weapons. Most were prisoners, slaves, or criminals, but some were free men seeking fame and fortune. In a time before films, gladiators satisfied the public’s appetite for action, adventure, and sex.
“Many modern movie stars want to show off a bit of their backside, and the Romans were no different, perhaps even more so. After all, they were the celebrities of their time,” researcher Rolfe Hutchinson noted.
Despite being under supervision, this form of entertainment offered them not only the chance to showcase their physical beauty but also to demonstrate a power that emperors envied.
At least one emperor, Commodus in AD 192, played the role of a gladiator. Dressed coolly like Hercules, the emperor terrified all who witnessed him. The historian Cassius Dio (164-235 AD) recounted: “After killing an African ostrich and severing its head, he approached where the officials were seated, holding the head in his left hand and brandishing a bloodied sword in his right, without saying a word, he grinned in a way that suggested he could do the same to any of them.”
Near the area where the pottery fragment was discovered, scientists also found a bronze handle of a razor, dating from the same period. The handle is shaped like the foot and leg of a Roman soldier, wearing thick woolen socks and sandals.
