It's a sunny afternoon in Rome, the sunrays lightening up the astonishing Flavian Amphitheatre. People move through the countless stairways to their allocated seats, where they await the procession marking the opening of the games to the sound of trumpets and fanfares.

The gates of the Coliseum finally open and the gladiators step inside the arena. One in particular seems to catch the public's attention; a helmet hides his face, but the crowd still chants his name: "Markos! Markos! Markos!"