Gladiators in Ancient Rome: an Examination of Their Life

Gladiator. “An armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals” (Gladiator).

In Ancient Rome, in the year of 264 BC the Roman Gladiator “games” began. This was a huge way of life for the Romans and the biggest way of entertainment for the citizens of Rome. It was an opportunity for “Emperors and rich aristocrats” to show their wealth to the people, to celebrate birthdays and military victories and lastly, to distract the citizens from the political and economic problems that were happening. These games were inspired and derived from the early Etruscans (people who ruled Italy before the Romans). They lasted for about a thousand years in the first century BC and ended in the 2nd century BC. While they last for a long time, hundreds of thousands of people likely do not know the struggles and life that these Gladiators had to go through.

A Roman Gladiators lifestyle was very simple and they didn’t have much to live off of. “Anyone condemned to the arena or the gladiator schools was a servus poenae (slave of the penalty), and was considered to be under sentence of death unless manumitted” (Gladiator). Most gladiators would live in cells, arranged in barrack formation around their practice arena. They would also be separated by their type and status depending on how well they fought and how well known they were. As well as being separated by type, they were given a specific diet to follow so they would be in shape for the games. They were fed food such as fish, bread, cereals and vegetables and were only allowed to drink water. As compared to modern athletes, they were most likely overweight, but it may have "protected their vital organs from the cutting blows of their opponents" (Gladiator). They trained so hard that they were given massages and high quality medical care as well as massages and hot or cold baths. Even though they were looked after quite well, their social status wasn’t great unless they were famously known in the arena. “All contracted volunteers, including those of equestrian (Romans with a stable minimum amount of wealth (property worth at least 400,000 sesterces) and senatorial class (men who served in the Senate, and by extension their families), were legally enslaved by their auctoratio (“a legal agreement by gladiators when they joined or reenlisted, by which they handed themselves over as slaves to their master and trainer, agreeing to submit to beating, burning, and death by the sword if they did not perform as required”) because it involved their potentially lethal submission to a master” (Gladiator). They were slaves, but they were superior than most of the lower Roman class. While “unfree” gladiators weren’t given too much freedom they were allowed to leave money and property to their wives and children. Some gladiators even had their own slaves and granted them their freedom. “Successful gladiators were treated like the film stars today” (James, 39). Those of who were lucky enough to retire from the games were offered lots of money to return to the arena and some even took up the offer. Trainers and owners would ask them to return because it was a huge rising business for them.

The games were held in huge oval amphitheatres with tiered seating so everyone could see. Before Augustus became king there was no social control in the arenas. He soon changed this “problem”. The first row of seats were arranged for the senators, the upper seats were reserved for the women even though it was custom for the men and women to sit together, and special seats for the married men of the commons. Boys under age had their own section and “he decreed that no one wearing a dark cloak should sit in the middle of the house” (Gladiator). Everyone followed these customs and forty to fifty thousand people would attend these games for great entertainment and pleasure.

The Roman Gladiator games weren’t just subject to men, women could fight as well, even though it was less popular. A large number of these fighters were slaves, former slaves, or condemned prisoners. Although many gladiators were slaves or people who came from criminal backgrounds, prisoners of war were forced to fight in the arenas as well.

Before any gladiator could fight in the arenas they had to go to a training school to become good enough to fight. There were many types of gladiators and they required custom training according to their armor, weapons and fighting techniques. Training was a way for them to learn how to fight, but by not “using highly dangerous real weapons”(Life of a Gladiator). Weapons like “wooden training swords called the rudus were used” (Life of a Gladiator). Some free men would sign contracts with gladiator schools in hope for glory and prize money because they were so thrilled by the battles and crowds.

During the games, many different types of gladiators would fight one another. The type of weapon and armor used would determine what type of gladiator the person was and what class he belonged to. A few types of gladiators were the Samnite, Thracian, Myrmillo, and Retiarius gladiators. The Samnite class was the most heavily armed and fought with a sword or lance. They also carried a large square shield and had “protective armor on his right arm and left leg” (Gladiator). The Thracian gladiators (the most popular) would fight with a curved short sword and a small square or round shield. “The Myrmillo gladiator was sometimes known as the fish man as he had a fish-shaped crest on his helmet. Like the Samnite, he carried a short sword and scutum but had armour only of padding on an arm and leg” (Gladiator). The Retiarius gladiator fought with no armor but did have a shoulder pad piece. He would carry a weighted net and trap his opponent in the net, then stab them with a trident. Gladiators were also known to have fought barefoot.

The most famous gladiator of all time was known as Spartacus also known as “murmillones (man who carried 35-40 pounds of arms and armour into the arena)” (Strauss, 13). He fought barefoot, barechested and with a bronze helmet. He also wore a belted loincloth (cloth wrapped around the hips, used as pants), various armour and leg guards, and he carried a shield and sword. Spartacus was a Thracian soldier who was captured and sold into slavery. In 73 BC, Spartacus reached out to seventy of his fellow gladiators to rebel against Batiatus (Roman owner of a gladiator school). In 72 BC these gladiators spent the winter “training the newly freed slaves in preparation for what is now known as the Third Servile War, as their ranks swelled to as many as 70,000 individuals” (Gladiator).Marcus Licinius Crassus, gathered 50,000 trained Roman soldiers to defeat Spartacus in 71 BC. Crassus found Spartacus in Southern Italy and killed him in the process. Six thousand of Spartacus’ followers were “captured and crucified” making Spartacus and his followers no more.

The earliest gladiator games started as far back as 264 BC. The first arena and the biggest one of all “The Coliseum opened in Rome by Titus in 80 AD and held 50,000 people and had 18 entrances” (James, 28). On opening day, “five thousand animals were slaughtered” (James, 38).

During the games, although death was the expected outcome of the battles some gladiators were spared and shown mercy by the audience and Emperor. If the gladiator raised his forefinger that meant he wanted to be shown mercy. If he fought well and gave a good show the audience would cheer loudly but if they didn’t fight well the audience would make disapproving sounds. Ultimately the emperor had the decision and if the audience liked the battle he would give a thumbs up and vice versa. If the gladiators made it past the battle they would normally fight in two or three games every year lasting ten to fifteen minutes. Even though it is a popular notion that the gladiator games consisted of a lot of animal fighting they rarely used animals in the games. Not only did the gladiators participate in the games, but the Roman Emperors would participate as well. They would fight against gladiators who weren’t well trained and would kill animals “like panthers and bears to wow the crowd” (10 Things You May Not Know).

“To die well, a gladiator should never ask for mercy, nor cry out” (Gladiator). Gladiators who died in the arena would be carried out on a Libitina and be removed from the arena. When taken to the morgue, their throats would be cut to make sure they were dead. Many gladiators died before the age of thirty and would fight in about ten matches. Most gladiators viewed each other as a brotherhood and therefore if one of them fell in battle they would make sure they got a proper funeral “and grave inscription honoring his achievements in the arena” (10 Things You May Not Know). If the fallen gladiator had a wife and children, they would receive monetary compensation (money paid to the person for their labor) for their loss.

In 380, Christianity was adopted as the state of church and the games slowly went away during the 5th century.