Movie still from Gladiator, courtesy of Dreamworks Pictures

Thanks to Hollywood, the gladiators of ancient Rome are at the forefront of moviegoers’ minds. But how can the director of a film presume to know what a gladiator might have worn in the arena? Or more interestingly, how can a film dare to propose a range of emotions (heroism, fear, lust) that a gladiator might have felt, given that, as the subjects of the pagan emperor of Rome, they lived and died according to an uncompromising belief system completely alien to our own?

The Romans were great storytellers, and their works of art, along with ancient texts, offer a primary source of information about their world. The Gladiator Mosaic of the Galleria Borghese in Rome is an extraordinarily well-preserved mosaic of the 10th century that is an actual historical record of a combat event. Now set in the floor of the museum, it testifies to the appearance of a particular armor and costume. Each of the gladiators, for example, wears a protective sleeve, called a manica, on only one arm.

The Gladiator Mosaic, Late 3rd - early 4th Century A.D.

The mosaic presents a helmeted gladiator (Astiuus) who has fallen to a youthful, scantily clad gladiator (Astacius), who raises his weapon to strike as he treads on his opponent’s fallen shield. The two had been deliberately paired for battle, as was the custom. While Astiuus had the protective advantage of helmet and shield, he was burdened by the weight of his gear. Unencumbered, Astacius was less protected, but had the advantage of greater mobility. At left, a new, hooded opponent (Baccibus) is urged to step forward. We know in advance, however, that Astacius will be the victor again because he is depicted in full glory above, posed as a hero.

The mosaic preserves for us a sense of how Romans understood the position of subjective human emotions in relation to the larger concept of destiny. A crucial detail is Baccibus’s glance backward at the official who urges him forward; he stares back with an unrelenting gaze. Baccibus might hesitate with fear, but both figures seem to know that they have no choice but to give themselves over to their fate. In the world of this mosaic, emotions like fear are a condition of humanity. Ultimately, however, they have no consequence in the larger scheme of destiny.

More about the Galleria Borghese

Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5
00197
Rome, Italy

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