Roman Terracotta Lamp with Fighting Gladiators
1st-2nd century A.D. Composed of a discoid body with sunken discus bearing a scene of two gladiators in combat in relief, tabula ansata below, ring handle and roughly D-shaped nozzle with volutes; old crack to base. Cf. Gilbert, F., Devenir Gladiateur, la vie quotidienne á l'ecole de la mort, La Capelle-Marival, 2013, pp.30-31, for similar lucernae.84 grams, 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.). From a German collection. Ex Cambridge, UK, collection, 1980s. The two gladiators seem to wear the armaturae of murmillones. All gladiators began their career as provocatores; the learning of their combat technique was polyvalent and allowed the fighters to specialise as a large shield-bearer (the scutati) like murmillones, or as a small shield-bearers, parmati, like the oplomachus.