Gladiator
"Gladiator" refers to the warriors in ancient Rome who fought in deadly combat for public entertainment, primarily in amphitheaters such as the Colosseum. These fighters, often slaves or condemned criminals, were trained in specialized gladiatorial schools and could achieve fame and wealth by excelling in the arena. The origins of gladiatorial combat may trace back to funerary rites in the 200s BCE, where dueling slaves honored deceased aristocrats. Over time, these contests evolved into highly publicized events, sponsored by the elite to showcase their power and social status. Gladiators were categorized based on their strength and skill, each equipped with distinctive weapons and armor for their matches. While many battles were brutal and sometimes ended in death, not all contests resulted in fatalities; sponsors aimed to keep their fighters alive for as long as possible. The popularity of these games peaked during the Roman Empire, with emperors hosting extravagant events that drew massive crowds. However, as Christianity gained influence, attitudes toward gladiatorial combat shifted, leading to its eventual ban in the early 400s CE. Today, gladiators symbolize the complex cultural heritage of ancient Rome, reflecting both its violent spectacles and the societal values of the time.
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Gladiator
Gladiators were warriors who engaged in deadly combat with one another for the entertainment of audiences in ancient Rome. Gladiators were usually slaves or criminals who were trained and bred in Rome's elite gladiatorial schools and kept as prized possessions of their owners. Although gladiatorial combat was brutally violent and dangerous, skilled fighters could survive in the arenas for years and eventually retire with great wealth. Gladiator games flourished in Rome for more than six centuries before being banned in the early 400s CE and stopping completely several decades later.
Background
Writers and historians even during the time of the gladiatorial games were unsure of how the contests had begun. They initially claimed the practice had been brought to Rome from the Etruscan people, another civilization of ancient Italy. Some later historians believed the games more likely began as funerary rites in Rome itself in the 200s BCE, during the time of the Roman Republic.
In this era, the families of wealthy aristocrats who had died employed slaves or prisoners to duel to the death at the funerals of their relatives. These fights served two purposes: to symbolize the courage and strength displayed by the deceased in life and to purify the souls of the dead with a blood sacrifice, a common Roman practice.
These popular duels eventually separated from funerals and became their own event, sponsored by members of the noble classes to flaunt their social prominence. Sponsors advertised upcoming gladiatorial games on walls throughout their communities, announcing how many fighters would be appearing so they could draw corresponding crowds.
Gladiators were usually slaves or condemned prisoners who were forced into combat. Others freely joined the gladiatorial ranks, hoping to become wealthy by winning prize money. Gladiators were expensive to maintain. Their sponsors paid for them to be housed, trained, fed, and cared for by the best physicians available in Rome's gladiatorial schools. For this reason, most sponsors wanted to keep their gladiators alive for as long as possible, and not all gladiatorial matches ended in death.
To ensure fair match-ups, sponsors devised rules for their contests. Usually, only two gladiators at a time entered the sandy arenas that had been established in Rome's amphitheaters, outdoor arenas with circular seating to allow maximum viewing of a performance. The fighters were paired by their strength and experience. Gladiators were also separated into classes based on their capabilities. Combatants in each class carried their own weapons and wore their own distinctive armor. The thraex class of gladiators, for example, donned leg guards and body armor, carried rectangular shields and curved swords, and wore heavy bronze helmets.
In most cases, fights ended if one gladiator became critically wounded or if the combatants were so evenly matched that their duel became tedious for the crowd. Gladiators only sometimes fought to the death, if their owners wanted to appease the bloodthirsty audiences. In these cases, the sponsors allowed their mortally wounded fighters to be slain with death blows.
Wild animals were sometimes added to gladiatorial combat as well. Beasts such as lions, crocodiles, and elephants were usually used in arenas only to fight one another or to serve as prey for trained animal hunters, but they were also let loose in standard gladiator battles to diversify the entertainment.
Fighting and dying together in the arenas forged bonds of brotherhood among gladiators. Some groups of fighters formed unions, known as collegia, which they used to provide funerals and grave inscriptions for deceased gladiators. The collegia also financially compensated the families of fallen warriors for the death of their loved ones.
Impact
Gladiatorial games became even more popular over the next two centuries. They survived Rome's transition from republic to empire in 27 BCE, at which point members of the Roman government began staging their own gladiator battles to win the people's support. The games were popularity contests among aristocrats and state officials; the more lavish and violent the duels, the greater the public approval of their sponsors.
In 80 CE, for instance, to celebrate the opening of the Colosseum, Rome's majestic new amphitheater, Emperor Titus organized one hundred days of gladiatorial games, during which time nine thousand wild animals were killed in battle. In 108 CE, Emperor Trajan staged a series of gladiatorial contests lasting 123 days. By the end, more than nine thousand gladiators had competed, and about eleven thousand animals had been killed.
Emperors wielded complete control over gladiatorial battles held at the Colosseum. They ultimately decided whether gladiators who were gravely wounded or who released their weapons in submission would live or die. However, most of the time, emperors allowed the crowds to choose a fighter's fate.
The emperors signaled the final decision to the gladiators using one of several hand gestures. Historians in the twenty-first century believe that, unlike the ways the gestures were portrayed in many films about ancient Rome, a thumbs-down signal actually conveyed that the defeated gladiator should be spared, while a thumbs-up meant death.
Roman government approval of gladiatorial games began to decline in the early 300s CE, with Emperor Constantine's acceptance of Christianity in Rome. As he wanted to comply with the wishes of Christians, who considered gladiator combat to be immoral blood sport, Constantine attempted to outlaw gladiator fights in 325 CE. He suggested that prisoners be sentenced to work in the mines rather than made to fight one another in arenas.
Romans, however, were not ready to abandon their beloved death matches, and gladiator games continued into the 400s CE. Emperor Honorius banned gladiatorial combat once again in 404 CE, after witnessing Christian monk Telemachus's slaughter in the arena after he attempted to stop a match. Still the games continued but only until the 440s CE, at which point all written references to gladiatorial combat ceased. In the twenty-first century, gladiator fights remain a defining symbol of the culture of ancient Rome.
Bibliography
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