4. Even Though Slaves Would Carry Out The Dead, They Did It With Flair
There are many primary sources out there that give detailed and differentiating accounts of how a slave would remove a gladiator’s body. In a gladiator grave dated around 70 AD, a decorated lamp revealed the scene of a fallen gladiator. In the same grave, another lamp had the image of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the Underworld. These artifacts were not surprising given the flair for these games. Dressing as death gods to mutilate unworthy gladiators was a thrill for the Romans.
Slaves would often dress up as various underworld gods to remove the bodies of fallen gladiators. In this particular grave, it noted the slaves dressed as Anubis to remove the bodies. Other accounts state that slaves would dress up as Hermes Psychopompous and Charun, an Etruscan demon of death. the Charun slave would hammer the gladiator’s skull in, and Hermes would impail him with a hot iron rod. Interesting how they choose gods not associated with their own Roman interpretations.