Gladiatorial combats were a form of entertainment during the time of the Roman Empire. Gladiators trained in the provinces and then moved on to fight in the Coliseum in Rome (as seen in the movie Gladiator). The Romans, famous for their glassware as well as their engineering, sometimes commemorated gladiators on glass cups.

M.J. Viola, editor

The Gladiator Cup, Roman Glass, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Exhibition: The Year One

THE GLADIATOR CUP is a transparent lemon yellow. It is about three and one half inches tall and about five inches in diameter. Around the cup are four pairs of fighting gladiators. They are all in a fighting stance, carrying weapons and wearing armor. You can see the angry expressions on the faces. One of the gladiators is on the ground and looks as though he is being defeated. Across the top of the cup, the four pairs of gladiators are identified by their names inscribed in Latin: Gamus, Merops, Calamus, Hermes, Tetraites, Prudes, Spiculus and Columbus. Gladiator cups are found in the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire. Scholars think this cup was from France.

Dinah Masih