Through the Life of a Gladiator

Origins

 

The word gladiator comes from the Latin word which means swordsman. A gladiator was an armed warrior who entertained audiences in the RomanRepublic and Roman Empire in violent meetings with other gladiators, wild animals, and some condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social positions and their lives just to show themselves courageous in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under extremely harsh conditions and kept apart even in death. In the late 1st century BC, Nicolaus of Damascus thought the games were based on Etruscan belief. A generation later, Livy (a Roman historian who wrote a vast amount of Roman history) wrote that they were first held in 310 BC by the Campanians in celebration of their victory over the Samnites. There are many other writers who have written about their thoughts on the origins of gladiators. Roman historians called attention to the gladiator games as a foreign import, most likely Etruscan (a region of central Italy). This preference informed most typical historians of the Roman games in the AD. Livy dates the earliest Roman gladiator games to 264 BC, in the beginning stages of Rome's First Punic War against Carthage. Decimus Iunius Brutus Scaeva had six gladiators fight to the death in Rome's cattle market in honor of his dead father, Brutus Pera. This was the beginning of gladiators.

 

Gladiators and Their Social Status

 

Most gladiators were of very low class because they were slaves. Only slaves that committed a crime such as rebellion and theft could be sentenced to fight in an arena. The worst offenders of the law received the most brutal punishment. These people were called noxii. The noxii would die in an inhumane way by being wild beasts or even fight each other. The offenders whose charges were less would have a much better chance of surviving. These people were called damnati. The damnati were equipped with defense tools. When they fought it was for more of an entertaining show. It was not uncommon for a damnati to survive to fight another day. Some may have become famous by the public. In addition to slaves being made to fight as gladiators, there were also many volunteer gladiators. All of the volunteers had to be under submission of their master. They lost a lot of their privileges if they decided to join the lifestyle of a gladiator. Many volunteer gladiators gave up their money and family. On the contrary, it is recorded that one gladiator was granted citizenship to some Greek cities of Eastern Rome because he succeeded in his battles.

 

Emperor Gladiators

 

Caligula, Hadrian, and Titus are three of several emperors who were said to have fought in an arena as gladiators. Thought their risk of death was a very low percentage, they put on great shows for the public. One emperor fought a whale trapped in a harbor. Another emperor was said to have killed one hundred lions in a single day. Many emperors used this tactic to draw in large amounts of money and receive fame.

Gladiator Schools and Training

 

The first gladiator school named was started by Aurelius Scaurus at Capua (a town in southern Italy.) The name of a gladiator was called ludus. The schools used most likely retired surviving gladiators to train new slaves, the low class, and some volunteers. The students could excel to high positions or low positions the same way modern schools of today work. Although the use of deadly weapons were prohibited at the schools, that did not make their training any easier. The student gladiators fighting techniques were learned by harsh rehearsal. The discipline taught at these schools could be lethal because of the exhausting work ethic. The training prepared the gladiators for an unflinching death. The students had to be extremely committed in order to succeed. Gladiators would be separated according to their type and status. Whether they were training, sleeping, or eating they would be kept separate. Despite the hard training the students encountered, they were taken well care of. They ate a diet consisting of boiled beans, barley, oatmeal, dried fruit, and ash (believed to help protect the body) for energy. If they were compared to the modern day athlete, they would most likely be husky, but the extra mass would have protected their organs from the cutting hits from their enemies. It is said that a regular massage routine and good medical care helped lessen the pain from the harsh training regimen.

Combat

 

In the times when the fighting of gladiators started, death was the excepted outcome of the battles. Gladiators would sometimes fight in matches were they would not stop until all the condemned were dead. In later years when gladiators were becoming more popular new rules started to come about such as “natural justice.” This law gave more winning gladiators a chance of survival. By this time the crowd would enjoy watching the well fighting gladiators, so their life would be spared depending on the cheers of the crowd. On some rare occasions the crowd would vote for a standing tie between two fighters. The matches would employ a senior referee and an assistant who would separate the two opponents with a staff in a crucial moment of the match so that it would last longer and be more entertaining. The referee would stop the match to allow the opponents to rest and get something like a massage. Spectators would especially like to watch fighters using unique fighting styles and groups of fighting gladiators. The winning gladiators would receive a palm branch and might receive a crown and money from the crowd.

Before the Battles

 

The nights before the battles the listed fighters were given a banquet. They were given an opportunity to enjoy their personal affairs and their so called “last meal.” The day of the games started with a numerous amount of things. There were animal hunts, people fighting against beastly animals, and even comedy fights. On record implies that a group of musicians dressed as flute playing bears and horn-blowing chickens fought against each other. Some of these activities were lethal. Warm up matches were fought with blunt weapons before the actual battle. The host would then check the weapons on the fighters. Some would be decorated with amazing different types of exotic materials. This was a favorite time for many spectators. Between ten and thirteen matches could be fought in one day. There were also many rivalries that occurred. At Pompeii’s amphitheatres riots between Pompeians and Nucerian spectators would lead to stone throwing and many others things. This would result in many injuries or even death.

Amphitheatres

 

Most spectators of a gladiatorial fight would have watched them in an arena or amphitheatre. Amphitheatres are almost like a like a modern day professional football field. Poor people got in free by a lottery and the average person had to pay for their seats. There were also ticket scalpers who sold tickets for a cheaper price. The normal amphitheatres had elevated seats, an arena that served like a stage so that the battles could be seen from every direction. Speech could be heard clearly because of the structure of the amphitheatre. Pompeii’s first amphitheatre was built by colonists around 70 BC. The first Roman amphitheatre was built of wood in 29-30 BC. After the amazing wooden theatre burned down the new amphitheatre Flavium was built. It was the largest in the Roman Empire, and could seat fifty thousand spectators.

Gladiators in Roman Culture

 

Images of gladiators are found within all classes of the Roman Empire. The walls called “Italian Agora” in Delos, Greece were painted in the second century BC. They were covered with paintings of different gladiators. Artwork from the second to the fourth century AD was useless in discovering new rules of combat and gladiatorial types. Historians use Roman lamps, ceramic, paintings, gems, jewelry, and statues to find history of the gladiators.

 

A Gladiators Death

 

To have an honorable death, a gladiator could have never begged for mercy or cry out. A good death redeemed a gladiator from his submissiveness of being defeated. It also provided a distinguished example to the spectators. Defeated gladiators would many times kneel on their knees while someone will off their heads. This is called the vital spot. The death of a gladiator was followed by the removal of parts of the body according to false rituals backed up by very strange beliefs. Gladiators who died well might have been brought away with dignity through the Libitinarian Gate. Those who died dishonorably would be denied and dragged away with hooks as carrion.

 

The Decline of the Gladiators

 

Uncontrollable inflation, border invasions, and shortages of workers during the third century AD cause the usage of money to go to military need rather than gladiator fights. The Empire never went back to its original state. Amphitheatres were being used to persecute Christians. Slowly new dictators began to take over and persecute Christians. This pushed the era of gladiatorial games to extinction. In 325 AD Constantine I banned all gladiatorial games.

 

Gladiators and Roman Culture is a very interesting part of world history. Many of America’s cultures come from this time period. This is why we should learn about this time period including gladiators.

 

Types of Gladiators

 

Andabatae – dressed in chainmail like Calvary, wore helmets with a visor without eye holes. they charged at each other blindly like as in a joust.

 

Bestiarii – they were beast fighters. Armed with a spear or knife. These gladiators were sentenced to fight beasts with the likelihood of dying. They were trained against different exotic beasts.

 

Dimachaeri – fought with one sword in each hand.

 

Hoplomachi (Samnite) – fully armored. They wore a helmet, woolen quilted leg wraps, and leg guards. They carried a spear and a small shield and were paired with Thraces.

 

Mirmillones – wore a helmet with a fish on the crest, and an arm guard. They carried a gladius (a small sword) and an oblong shield.

 

Laquerii – used a rope and a noose.

 

Provocatores – paired against the Samnites. they wore different kinds of armor depending on their opponent.

 

Retiarii – armed with a dagger, trident, and a net. They wore a large manica extending to the shoulder and left side of their chest. a metal shoulder was added to protect the neck and lower face.

 

Saggitarii – bowmen armed with reflex bows that could shoot an arrow a great distance.

 

Secutores – had the same armor as the Mirmillones except they fought with an oblong shield and gladius. their opponents were the Retairii.

 

Scissores (Carvers) – unknown information about this grim sounding gladiator.

 

Thraces – equipped with a broad-rimmed helmet that covered their entire head, two thigh length grieves, and a small round or square shield. his weapon was a curved shaped sword called a sica. they fought Mirmillones and Hoplomachi.

 

Velites – they fought on foot each holding a shield and a spear with a thong strap for throwing.

 

Ventores – specialized in hunting wild animals. they were not a true gladiator but still participated in the games.

 

Praegenarii – were used as an opening act to rile up the crowds. they used a wooden sword and wore wrappings around their body.

Interesting Facts

 

· It is estimated that most gladiators fought barefoot.

 

· In pictures displayed of the gladiators of ancient times the 0 symbol above a gladiators head, meant he was killed.

 

· By the end times of the republic, fifty percent of the gladiators were volunteers.

 

· Most gladiators would only fight two or three times a year.

 

· The largest battle of gladiators was fought in 107 AD given as a victory celebrated by Emperor Trajanas and consisted of over five thousand pairs of gladiators.

 

· Battles between only two gladiators took place only in the afternoon.

 

· When gladiators were slaughtered people cheered crazily.

 

· Emperor Commodus liked to set up fights between woman and dwarfs. He also appeared 735times on stage dressed as Hercules, with lion skin and a club, and killed countless people and animals.

 

· Some women were members of Venatores.

 

· For Caesar’s daughter’s funeral games, Caesars killed six hundred gladiators.

 

· The Emperor Petronius’ Satycion mentions a Roman circus in which a female riding a chariot fighter was competing against men.

 

· The weakest of all the gladiators were the net fighters (Laquerii.)

 

Resources

 

Gladiator. Online. Accessed 3 February 2011. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gladiators

 

Roman Gladiator Types. Online. Accessed 6 February 2011. www.unrv.com/culture/roman-gladiators.php

 

25 Gladiator Facts. Online. Accessed 7 February 2011. www.scribed.com/doc/8687965/25-GladiatorFacts