Vivid fresco depicting gladiators from Pompeii

A vivid fresco depicting a gladiator standing victorious as his wounded opponent gushes blood was discovered in Pompeii in 2019.

A 'murmillo' holds aloft his shield in his left hand, as he grips his short sword in the right. On the ground next to him lies the shield of the defeated 'thraex', who has suffered wounds and is bleeding. The thraex is gesturing with his hand, possibly asking for mercy.

A murmillo was a heavily armored Roman gladiator who fought with a large rectangular shield and a short sword, named after the Greek word for a type of fish due to his distinctive helmet. A Thraex, or Thracian, was equipped with a distinctive Thracian-style weapon and armor, including a small rectangular shield called a parmula and a curved short sword known as a sica. They also wore leg greaves.