Drawing of a gladiator
((:pars gladiatoris))
| Description of Drawing (English): | part of a gladiator? scene uncertain |
|---|---|
| Findspot: |
Smyrna, Basilica
(Agora.1)
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| Drawing Category: | Gladiators |
| Writing Style: | charcoal |
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| Bibliography: | Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 280-281. |
| Commentary: | Dipinto located in the upper left quadrant of the back wall of Bay 25. The iconography of this graffito is uncertain. One hypothesis is that the drawing is part of a scene that involves also the headless gladiator positioned to the far left of the same wall (see D28.2). If this is the case, then it seems plausible to recognize in the object to the right a sort of scaffolding or hanging pole, depicted with two shorter diverging legs and a longer pole curving to the left at its top. Hanging from the top of the pole is the head of the gladiator, or at least his helmet, identifiable as the typical helmet worn by an eques from its visor and the lack of a crest. The three lines departing from the helmet’s neck-guard could represent gushes of blood coming from the decapitated head. |
| Suggested Citation: | AGP-SMYD00284, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <http://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYD00284> [accessed: 29 Apr 2024] |
| Contributions: |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
