Roman Entertainment: Gladiators By Bridget O’Sullivan
Roman Entertainment: Gladiators
By Bridget O’Sullivan
Gladiator ˈɡladēˌādər/
a man trained to fight with weapons against other men or wild
animals in an arena.
Origin of Gladiator Fights ● First gladiatorial fight occurred when
3 gladiators fought to the death
during the funeral of Junius Brutus in
264 BCE
● Eventually the Gladiatorial Games
distanced from funerals and became a
part of public entertainment
● We know this from ancient wall
paintings and mosaics depicting
Gladiatorial fights
Why have Gladiator Fights?● display of power by wealthy/Officials● Entertainment● "this class of public entertainment has passed from being a
complement to the dead to being a complement to the living." - Tertullian in De Spectaculis (XII)
Who organized the fights?● Sponsor of the games (the
editor) was usually the
emperor in Rome
● In the provinces the
sponsor of the game was a
high ranking official or
magistrate
● Sponsor led a parade to
start off the fighting
Who were the Gladiators?● Many different types of people were Gladiators
● Criminals
● Prisoners of war
● Slaves
● Most gladiators volunteered because they wanted to be famous or get
money
Roles of the Gladiators ○ Eques (“horseman”) ○ Murmillo (“fish”)
○Provocator (“attacker”)
○ Retiarius (“net-man”) ○
Secutor (“pursuer”)○ Thraex (“Thracian”)
Training of the Gladiators● The manager of the gladiators was called the lanista;
● lanista trained the gladiators in schools (ludi)
● all the gladiatorial schools in Rome were under control of the emperor
● The largest of these schools was next to the Colosseum and included a
practice amphitheater
Where were the fights?● Fights took place in an amphitheatrum
● the seating extended all the way around
the oval/elliptical arena, which was
covered with sand
● Early amphitheaters were built of
wood, but stone amphitheaters were
much more durable
● amphitheaters were freestanding and
they could be built anywhere.
● vendors set up their shops outside to
sell food and drinks, and there were
places outside for people to use the
bathroom
The Coliseum● In A.D. 64, Vespasian decreed a new amphitheater would be built for
gladiatorial combats (the coliseum)
● ⅔ of the coliseum has been destroyed over time, however it is still one of
the most popular tourist destinations in Rome
Myths about Gladiatorial Fights● They weren’t actually always slaves
● They were organized into different
classes and types
● Women also fought as gladiators.
● some Roman emperors participated in
staged gladiatorial fights
● Gladiators often became celebrities
● They didn’t always fight to the death
● Animals vs. human fights were rare
Work cited pagehttp://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-roman-g
ladiators
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/arena.html
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/gladiators.html