Archaeological evidence suggests that gladiator contests were once held in Britain during the Roman occupation. The Colchester Vase, a relic from the second century AD that depicts a battle between two combatants, was made and decorated locally, according to tests. This is the first evidence that such duels were held in Britain, and there is no written documentation to provide additional information.
The Colchester Vase was discovered in the mid-1800s in a Roman grave in Colchester and is described by Colchester Museums as “one of the most significant and perhaps most famous pots from Roman Britain.” It depicts animal hunts and a gladiator battle between Memnon and Valentinus, both of which may have occurred in a Roman amphitheatre. The vase was made from local clay, and the names of the gladiators were inscribed into the clay as it was being formed, indicating a more direct connection to local events than was previously believed.
The analysis of the human remains found in the pot indicated that the deceased was over the age of 40 and may have been a foreigner who sponsored the depicted gladiatorial contest. The vase will be displayed at Colchester Castle on July 15 alongside other significant Roman artefacts.
Recent research on the Colchester Vase has led to startling new conclusions regarding gladiatorial combat in Roman-occupied Britain. Other discoveries, such as skeletons from an ancient “gladiator cemetery” in York, were unable to conclusively prove they were fighters, so the vase is believed to be the only evidence of such combat occurring here. Despite this, archaeological evidence suggests that gladiatorial combat was once held in Britain, shedding new light on the Roman occupation.
