Ambrosian Iliad- Late Roman soldier illustration

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

Just I knew that in 367 VA the pope Damasus recruited gladiators to destroy his enemies and Honorius, Theodosius' son, finally decreed the end of gladiatorial public contests and closed remaining the schools by Honorius in 399 VA. But gladiatorial combats continued in public, in one form or another, until 404 VA, when Honorius finally completely abolished them after, as Theodoret says (Ecclesiastical History, V.26), the death of a monk, Telemachus, who had entered the arena, endeavoring to stop the fight, and was stoned to death by the indignant crowd.

Anyway since that till about 500 VA gladiators fought as professionals in some clandestine/tolerated way, so it makes sense to me that in a battle/fight depiction of the fifth century we can see some of them in their traditional look and equipment yet. I also remember thart somewhere in the old red/black RAT the military use of the gladiators as special forces was debated.

Valete,