L’enfant et le coq. Une allusion à la gladiature sur la mosaïque « des enfants chasseurs » de Piazza Armerina

The present study tries to explain the signification of a scene which is on the mosaic so-called “The Children’s hunting”. In this scene, a cock chases a boy, what seems to be an illustration of the defeated gladiator asking for his missio. Indeed, the boy is kneeling down and raises his right hand in an aggressive context. Besides the evocation of the venatio, this mosaic describes a gladiator’s performance. At least, the allusion to the munus is not so obvious since, on the 4th century AD, the gladiature had practically disapparead whereas the venatio were very famous in Africa.