The final fate of the Roman gladiators
Jun 07, 2021
The image we have of gladiators is that of men condemned to fight until their
last breath, but it is one of many myths that surround the world of gladiators
in ancient Rome.
Although true massacres did take place, generally these were applied to those
sentenced to death, while gladiators were trained fighters who most of the
time survived the fighting and could gain a lot of fame and eventually their
freedom.
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The fights between gladiators in ancient Rome were brutal. It was not like a football game (American or otherwise) where it would be assumed that both sides would go home with just a couple of bruises. Death was a fairly common occurrence at a gladiatorial game, but that doesn't mean it was inevitable. One gladiator might be lying prone in the blood-absorbing sand of the arena, with the other gladiator holding a sword (or whichever weapon he was assigned) at his throat. Instead of simply plunging in the weapon and consigning his opponent to death, the winning gladiator would look for a signal to tell him what to do.
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