Roman gladiators had code of conduct in arena of death

ISTANBUL - Roman gladiators may have fought and died to entertain but they appear to have abided by a strict code of conduct which avoided savage violence, scientists have suggested.

Tests on the remains of 67 gladiators found in Ephesus in Turkey show they stuck to well defined rules of combat and avoided gory free-for-alls.

Injuries to the front of each skull suggested that each opponent used just one type of weapon per bout of face-to-face contact, researchers report in the Forensic Science International.

Despite the fact that most wore helmets, 10 fighters died of hammer-like blows to the head, possibly the work of a backstage executioner who finished off wounded losers. The bones were found in 1993 and are thought to be 1800 years old.

- REUTERS