Children’s sketches depicting violent scenes of gladiators and hunters battling animals have been uncovered at the archaeological park of Pompeii, the park’s superintendent has said. The drawings, ...

Lions, tigers, and bears. These, among many other exotic animals, are the beasts with which gladiators did battle in amphitheaters across the Roman empire. It’s a spectacle that has long captured the ...

Fearsome Roman gladiators dueling for the entertainment of a roaring amphitheater looms large in the cultural imagination, perhaps now more than ever with Ridley Scott’s blockbuster Gladiator sequel, ...

A gruesome but fascinating discovery in an ancient cemetery near York has brought fresh light to the brutal world of Roman gladiators. For the first time in Europe, scientists have found physical ...

This is the introduction to Plot Twist, our weekly culture newsletter, in which correspondents spotlight important authors and performers, and tell you about the works of art and the stories they love ...