Gladiators Italian Tapestry
Gladiators is an Italian jacquard woven wall tapestry. It represents the armed combatants who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Most were slaves that were schooled under harsh conditions to the martial ways of the gladius, or Roman short sword.