A fresco that shows the bloody struggle of two gladiators, wounded and bathed in blood , is the latest find in the excavations of the Pompeii (south) site, the Roman city buried and razed by the eruption of Vesuvius two millennia ago.

The managers of the archaeological park today announced in a statement the discovery of this fresco that represents a battle between two gladiators and that has been found in Regio V, the area where excavations have recently been centered.

The drawing revives the fight between a "mirmillone" or murmillo, a type of gladiator characterized by its fish-shaped helmet, and a Thracian , with weapons from ancient Thrace, which is currently the Balkan region of the Aegean Sea.

The first, with a triumphant stance, wields a "gladium", a short sword, and sports a large golden shield and a helmet with visor and plume, while the second, practically defeated, appears with the shield on the ground , injured and gesturing with the left hand.

"There is a singular gesture that the wounded fighter makes with his hand, perhaps to implore his salvation. It is the gesture of 'ad locutia", usually made to the emperor or the general to request grace, "explains the general director of Pompeii, Massimo Osanna

The fresco, 112 cm by 150 cm, has been found in the living room of a house that is located at the crossroads between the alley of the Balcones and that of the Silver Weddings , has a trapezoidal shape and was under a ladder, presumably In a storage.

Experts believe that he probably decorated a tavern frequented by gladiators, merchants and prostitutes.

Osanna highlights the "extremely realistic" representation of wounds, such as the one shown on the wrist of the defeated and from which emanates the blood that soaks his clothes, to the legs.

The Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, has celebrated this latest discovery that, in his opinion, demonstrates a change of course in the management of the site, until a few years ago mired in carelessness and affected by thefts and landslides.

"Today Pompeii is a success story with millions of tourists . It is a cozy place and, above all, to which he has returned to investigate through new excavations," said the minister.

Well, in his opinion, this last treasure shows that Pompeii, buried by the violent eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and rediscovered in the 18th century, is "an inexhaustible mine for the knowledge of today's and future archaeologists."

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