Hyper-realistic gladiator fresco uncovered in Pompeii
A partial fresco depicting a pair of gladiators in battle was uncovered at a Pompeii excavation site, Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini announced last Friday. The painting is one of the most detailed depictions of gladiators discovered thus far.
With a graphic portrayal of the wounds some fighters often incurred during battle, the fresco is an especially important find for researchers and excavationists. The piece is one of the latest discoveries from the Regio V site, a 54 acre excavation area in Pompeii which is unavailable to the public.
The fresco depicts two different types of gladiators, a murmillo warrior (on the left) and a thracian warrior (on the right), which were often pitted against each other in ancient times. One fighter lifts his sword to strike the final blow while the other raises a finger in defeat. The two are identifiable by differences in armor and weaponry.
“Of particular interest in this fresco is the very realistic representation of wounds on the wrist and chest of the unsuccessful gladiator,” Massimo Osanna, the director general of Pompei’s archaeological park told The Guardian. “We don’t know the outcome of the fight, he could have died or was given grace.”
The ancient painting is thought to have been on a wall below the staircase of a local tavern frequented by gladiators. On the floor above, was a brothel where many of the customers would have likely gone after a drink. The location is a couple blocks away from where gladiator barracks would have been.
Following the approval of the EU Great Pompeii Project last year, archaeologists have uncovered dozens of art and architectural finds from the Regio V site including a painted “fast food” counter, a fresco of Zeus and a number of small amulets and assorted jewelry.
Since its discovery 250 years ago, the city of Pompeii has given researchers valuable insight into the lives and culture of ancient Romans. Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash after a massive volcanic eruption in 79 AD.
Prior to the EU Great Pompeii Project, which launched in 2012, the Pompeii site was in a state of neglect, with crumbling walls and long tourist delays. After the site was threatened to be removed from the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2014, Italian authorities worked to improve and restore the area.
“A few years ago the archaeological site of Pompeii was known throughout the world for its negative image: the collapses, the strikes and the queues of tourists under the sun,” Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini told The Guardian. “Today’s story is one of redemption … The discovery of the fresco shows that Pompeii is an inexhaustible mine of research and knowledge for today’s archaeologists and for those of the future.”
Becca Most
