What This Ancient Vase Tells Us About Gladiators – And Roman Britain

The Colchester Vase (pictured) was unearthed in a Roman grave in southeast England in 1853. The incredibly intact piece of pottery dates from around AD 175 and as well as depicting scenes of staged combat, the vase includes an engraving of the names of two gladiators. New tests on the vase show that the names of the gladiators were carved before the urn was fired, not afterwards as previously thought. This small distinction reveals something even more intriguing...