The  scenes  of  the  arena  were  soon  reproduced  in  a  fierce
street  fight  between  the  people  of  the  two  towns,  in  which
many  Nucerians  were  left  dead  or  wounded.  The  catastrophe
was  brought  before  the  emperor,  and  referred  by  him  to  the
Senate,  with  the  result  that  Pompeii  was  sternly  deprived  of
its  favourite  amusement  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  But  when
the  interdict  was  removed,  the  Pompeians  had  the  enjoyment
of  their  accustomed  pleasure  for  ten  years  more,  till  it  was
finally  interrupted  by  the  ashes  of  Vesuvius.
A  building  at  Pompeii,  which  was  originally  a  colonnade
connected  with  the  theatre,'  had  been  converted  into  barracks
for  a  school  of  gladiators  in  the  time  of  the  early  Empire.'
Behind  the  colonnade  of  more  than  seventy  Doric  columns
had  been  built  a  long  row  of  small  cells,  with  no  opening
except  on  the  central  enclosure.     There  was  a  mess  room,
and  the  exedra  on  the  southern  side  served   as  a  retiring
room   for   the   trainers   and   the   men   in   the   intervals    of
exercisa      The   open   area  was   used   for    practice.      These
buildings  have  yielded  many  specimens  of  gladiators'  arms,
helmets,  and  greaves  richly  embossed  in  relief,  scores  of  mail-
coats,  shields,  and  horse-trappings.     In  one  room  there  were
found  the  stocks,  and  four  skeletons  with  irons  on  their  1^.
In  another,  eighteen  persons  had   taken  refuge  in  the  last
catastrophe,  and,  among  them,  a  woman  wearing  costly  jewels.
