This ancient mosaic shows a man…

• • uncorking a wine amphora
• • repairing a chariot axle
• • urging on a racehorse
• • beheading an ostrich

This gory scene is part of a floor mosaic at the Villa Dar Buc Ammera in Libya, near the modern town of Zliten and the ancient Roman-Carthaginian city of Leptis Magna. The mosaic is estimated to date from 200 AD. Its central square depicts various fishes, while the border illustrates the entertainments of the arena. The ostrich decapitation would have taken place in the morning, when wild animals were killed by men or pitted against other animals, as in the mosaic scene that shows a bear fighting a bull. At noon, criminals were brought out for execution by leopards and lions. In the afternoon, gladiators fought to the death. The gladiatorial battles were accompanied by musicians who varied their tempo to suit the action.