在塞浦路斯库里翁（Kourion）附近的埃皮斯科皮（Episkopi），有一处三世纪的罗马别墅遗址。这里以马赛克闻名，而其中最特别的，是一组几乎在岛上绝无仅有的图像：斗士在地面上搏斗，并且连名字都被直接写了出来。 别墅的地面被分成若干块拼图式的画面。其中一幅里，两名角斗士正面相对，脚下的希腊文字分别标注着他们的名字：Margarites 和 Hellenikos，两人被画在对决的瞬间，仿佛战斗正进行到关键时刻。 另一幅马赛克则更具戏剧性：一名全副武装、名为 Lytras 的斗士向对手逼近，而对手的形象只保存到头盔与脚的部分。与此同时，还有第三个人物以平民身份出现——他是裁判 Darios，手持棍棒，似乎正试图介入、阻止这场冲突。 据塞浦路斯文物部门的说法，这类“把角斗士作为马赛克题材、且在画面中点名”的内容在岛上极为罕见。也正因为如此，这座原本规模不大的别墅，才会获得如今的名字与关注度：它让人得以在罗马世界里，把在塞浦路斯竞技场上战斗的面孔、姿态，甚至姓名一并“看见”。 实用提示：这处遗址位于广场附近，走向阿基里斯之屋（House of Achilles）的路上，通常可以和同一条参观路线顺路安排。寻找第二幅马赛克时，留意裁判人物 Darios，他很容易和画面其他元素混在一起；此外，正午时段日照强、遮阴少，逛起来可能会比较热。

Kourion's ruins are full of mosaics: mythological scenes, geometric patterns, hunting parties. But tucked near the main courtyard of one villa is something the rest of the island almost never shows: gladiators, fighting, identified by name. According to Cyprus's own Department of Antiquities, gladiatorial combat is a rare subject for mosaic art anywhere on the island, which is what gives this otherwise modest 3rd-century house its name. The floor is split into several panels. In one, two fighters face off under their own inscribed names in Greek, Margarites and Hellenikos, locked mid-duel. In another, a heavily armed gladiator named Lytras advances on an opponent of whom only a helmeted head and a foot survive, while a third figure in civilian dress, a referee named Darios, holds a rod and tries to intervene. It is one of the few places in the Roman world where you can put faces, poses and even names to the men who fought in Cyprus's arenas, most of which have left no other trace.

1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards raised the regimental flag alongside the Welsh national flag in Episkopi at the start of a two-year stint

The guardsmen are taking over as the Resident Infantry Battalion in Episkopi from The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

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