Getty | Boxing for Blood: Violent Sport & High Culture in a Roman Mosaic

Ancient combat sports had some rules, but they often turned bloody. Heroes of the epic past and real-world champions were each celebrated in art and literature for their hard-won victories. A mosaic from a Roman villa in France depicts a notable scene from an ancient epic—a violent boxing match described by Virgil in his “Aeneid.” Join antiquities curatorial assistant Nicole Budrovich and classics professor Charles Stocking as they examine this mosaic in the context of competitive sports in antiquity and the enduring appeal of violent spectacle.