Roman marble funerary stele of the gladiator Quintus Sossius Albus, dedicated to him by one of his freedwomen, found in the suburbs of Aquileia, an important Roman colony founded in 181 BC in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and dated to the first half of the 2nd century AD. It is now part of the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia.
The high-relief stele depicts a gladiator of the murmillo type; it is not a portrait in the strict sense: the face is completely covered by the helmet's visor; rather, it depicts the deceased's function as a gladiator.
The Latin inscription: "D (is) M (anibus) // Q (uinti) Sossi / Albi / myrmillonis / Sossia Iusta / lib (erta) patron (o) / bene merenti" states that the stele was dedicated by Sossia Iusta, a freed slave, to her master, Quintus Sossius Albus, a murmillo gladiator, an auctoratus, that is, a free individual of a moderate socioeconomic status who volunteered to fight in the arena, perhaps to gain fame and fortune; his social status is attested by his identification "tria nomina," his three names.

Across the top of the stele are the letters D and M, which stand for "Dis Manibus," which in Latin means "to the Gods Mani." In Roman religion, the Mani, in Latin Dii Manes, literally "Manes," were the three names of the gods. "Benevolent Gods" were the deified souls of the deceased, considered benevolent spirits or ancestors.
Slave gladiators are identified by inscriptions that report only their nicknames; only free men with Roman citizenship could compete in gladiatorial games of their own free will, introducing themselves by their names.
The murmillo gladiator belongs to the category of scutarii, protected by a large rectangular shield. The murmillones take their name from the image of a fish, a mormora, on their helmets. The murmillo was heavily equipped and relied on his strength and endurance to survive his opponents' attacks. These gladiators wore defensive armament characterized by a helmet with a brim folded at the sides and eye protection, the cassis crista with a horsehair crest, made with a vast grid that allowed for decent general vision compared to other varieties of gladiatorial helmets.

His weapon was the gladius, a sword with an iron blade 40–50 centimeters long, perfect for close combat. The murmillo also carried a large scutum, a rectangular, curved "tower shield," often with a central bronze boss. It could also be used offensively, striking an opponent with considerable weight.
His armament was completed by a greave (ocrea) on his left leg and an arm guard padded with multi-layered linen or tough leather (manica). The ocrea was secured to the calf with laces anchored to bronze eyelets. Despite this heavy and impenetrable armament, his classic opponent, the thraex, could strike above or to the sides of the shield using a terrible curved weapon, the sica, which could lacerate his opponent's back, shoulders, hips, and sometimes legs.
It is not known whether Quintus died as an old man or perhaps in the arena during one of his fights. His freedwoman, Sossia, obviously had enough money to purchase a very beautiful funerary stele and, we might assume, a funeral with paid mourners. The rest of the story, unfortunately, has been lost to time.