Gladiatorial Monuments from Thyateira

Abstract

This study focuses on five gladiatorial monuments found during the surveys conducted at Thyateira in the northeastern part of Lydia. The monuments, all of which date to the Roman Imperial Period and are now preserved in the Manisa Museum, are marble altars depicting a single gladiator facing to the right. The monuments form a group with five other gladiatorial monuments previously found at Thyateira and provide information about the importance and content of gladiatorial fights in the city. The gladiator monuments from Thyateira constitute an important part of the gladiator inscriptions found in Lydia. This suggests that the tradition of gladiatorial fights in the city may date back to as early as the 1st century BC, and that it flourished and multiplied over time. The fact that the city was home to Roman merchants from the early period and the presence of the Imperial cult here must have paved the way for the spread of gladiator fights, a Roman tradition, in the city. We learn from the inscriptions that there was also a gladiator school (ludus) in the city. The city of Thyateira, which seems to have attached importance to athletic competitions and public performances throughout its history, must have adopted gladiatorial games at an early period and made them a part of social life.