Thread: Roman Gladiator's Gravestone Describes Fatal Foul

Roman Gladiator's Gravestone Describes Fatal Foul - Yahoo! News

An enigmatic message on a Roman gladiator's 1,800-year-old tombstone has finally been decoded, telling a treacherous tale.

The epitaph and art on the tombstone suggest the gladiator, named Diodorus, lost the battle (and his life) due to a referee's error, according to Michael Carter, a professor at Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. Carter studies gladiator contests and other spectacles in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

He examined the stone, which was discovered a century ago in Turkey, trying to determine what the drawing and inscription meant.

His results will be published in the most recently released issue of the Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik(Journal for Papyrology and Ancient Epigraphics).

Snip

After Diodorus was dead, the people who created his tombstone (probably family or friends) were so upset, Carter suggests, that they decided to include some final words on the epitaph:

"Fate and the cunning treachery of the summa rudis killed me."

Yeah, that caught my eye as soon at breakfast. It's fun when we get insight into the everyday lives of our ancestors. It's true. The more we know about them the more like us they appear. Of course there were many differences as well.

Originally Posted by Midwest Media Critics

There was a lot more gladitorial games in and around Turkey.....than In Rome.

Arenas were common to the urban areas from what UI uinderstand. Some were grander than others of course.

Originally Posted by Midwest Media Critics

Yep the Roman Colliseum was like the Superbowl for the gladiators.....not to mention slavers would make a profit off of picking up some potential clients. lol One would be surprised to see soldiers from defeated armies in the areans but they were there.

Some those guys were freemen too. Not too common butt here uis evidence of it. Desperate I guess...

Originally Posted by Midwest Media Critics

Oh yeah.....there mercenary types too. But you know how it goes once in they werent getting out but by 2 ways.

Dangerous profession no doubt. Funny how some of them got to be famous. Kind of like ancient rock stars.