Up to now I had been led to believe that there were no slingers used in Gladatorial events. Tonight I came across a mosaic showing gladiators fighting wild animals and it sure looks like one of the men is using a sling and firing off a shot at some kind of equine animal. If you go to the web site for Wikipedia: Bestiarii, you will see the mosaic about 3/4 of the way down the artcle. The slinger is in the fourth panel. What do you think???

This is the mosaic bigkahuna is talking about:



It's been discovered in the Flavian Amphitheater (the Coliseum, in Rome) and dates back to 72-80 a.D.

If we look close to the mosaic, from top to bottom, we see:
- people celebrating the victory of a gladiator, with instruments and stuff;
- the gladiators fighting;
- a man tied on a pole (left) being eaten by a leopard, while other men, one aided by a dog, are fighting wild animals;
- the slinger, a shield lying on the ground, a bear and a bull tied toghether and fighting, a man armed with a whip forcing another to go facing a lion.

So I think the mosaic is showing what the Coliseum is built for. It's like an ancient advertisement, it say:"Come to the Coliseum and you'll see men vs. men, men vs. animals, animals vs. animals". This is correct because while the real gladiators were men in armor fighting each other, buildings like the Coliseum were also used for the so-called "damnatio at bestiae", or public executions consisting in men vs. animals fights. There were also animals vs. animals.
All these situations are represented on the mosaic, but I also notice at least another situation: a hunting scene.
If you look at the third line from top, you see a man with a spear fighting a deer, together with a dog.
I think this show how they provided animals for the games, and I am prone to believe that the slinger is hunting another animal as well.
I think he may be a hunter because he's using a blunt weapon against a big animal; also it's difficult that gladiators were allowed to use ranged weapons inside the Coliseum for they may have hit the public.
On the other hand, he's naked, as are all sentenced people in the two lower stripes (man tied on the pole, man facing the lion), and there's a shield lying on the ground that makes me think he may be inside the arena.

So here's my opinion, he may be a sentenced or a hunter providing animals for the games, but not a "real" gladiator because his appearance is not that of a gladiator (read looking like a mythical being or a God).

OT: John I'm unable to reach you in Tuscany, I can't take holidays from job! I'm really, really sorry man, I would have loved to meet you! If you're coming next year I'll take time for the holidays beforehand! I'm really really sorry  

Greetings,
Mauro.

We,as slingers know how dangerous and unexpected are sling stones in flight. A ricochet from anything could very easily,fly into the crowd.Even "VIP's" would be in danger if slings would have been used in gladiator fights or fighting beasts.

Not slings, but the whips and lashes used by bestiarii and by arena personnel to shift living flesh, human and non-human, around into place.