The shows would begin in the morning with hunting (venationes).
Musicians would distract the audience during the noon intermission.
People were also condemned to death in public, damnationes ad bestia.
In the early afternoon, the much acclaimed gladiators would arrive with the entrance parade or pompa.
They would move toward the center of the arena.
A sign would list the names of the gladiators, the number of their victories, and their troupe.
The combat would start.
The gladiators would face each other, protected by their shields.
They would raise their weapons to begin the fight.
Nets and swords were deployed and shields and helmets used for protection.
The gladiators would fight successively in pairs.
A referee with a long staff (rudis) would make sure that the rules were followed.
He would separate the combatants if they were not respecting the rules.
Finally, the referee would stop the combat by raising his staff.
With the rudis in hand, he would ask for the opinion of the people and the judges.
However, only the judges who financed the munus (gift to the people), could decide on how the combat would end.
The gladiator would ask for grace, entering his thumb toward the palm of his hand to symbolize a sword in its sheath.
Sometimes, the two gladiators would leave standing, both rewarded with a palm branch.
But sometimes, as we can see on their tombstones, the outcome would be fatal.