Match of the Day

Here is the fight between the secutor (chaser) Astyanax and the retiarius (net-and-trident man) Kalendio.

Things (in the lower frame) look bad for spud-faced nipper Astyanax: Kalendio has enveloped him in his weighted net and is going in for the trident thrust.

But in the upper frame the tables are turned. Kalendio is down and bleeding into the sand, holding up his dagger in token of surrender, while the summa rudis (senior umpire) on the left (his assistant is on the right) turns to the editor (the giver of the games) for a decision on life or death.

Astyanax A won and the Ø by Kalendio's name shows that the editor - and the crowd - had Astyanax kill him.

Here the dismounted equites Maternus and Habilus (lower frame) are fighting. If you don't want to see the result look away now.

The text above them and the Ø for Maternus show the outcome: "While they were fighting Symmachius (the editor) gave the sword".

In the upper frame Maternus is down. The summa rudis repeats the editor's decision to the crowd, "I kill", and the crowd roar "we see this". They approve: "good call, Symmachius C".