Gladiators

In the ancient times of Rome, the most popular form of entertainment, was found at the

Amphitheater. Citizens from far regions came to watch the most thrilling event of all, the

gladiator shows. These duels were a major part of Roman culture, and still influence Rome

today.

Romans are known for their ability of creating marvelous architectural buildings. The

amphitheater, is one of their best inventions. An amphitheater is a large oval building, without a

roof, in which the rows grow higher as the seats become farther away. This was convenient for

poor citizens that could not pay for close seats, because they could still see the action happening

below. At first, amphitheaters were temporary, and made of wood. Soon Romans became tired of

taking them down, and erected permanent ones, made from limestone and marble. The first stone

amphitheater was founded in Pompeii. The most popular amphitheater of all, was the Colosseum,

which still exist in Rome.

The Colosseum, was the first amphitheater of Rome, which began construction in 70-72

AD, under the rule of Emperor Vespian. Its other name was Flavian Amphitheater, since it was

constructed during the Flavian Dynasty. In 80 AD, Emperor Titus, Vespians son, help a festival,

which began with 100 days of games. This included gladiator duels, and wild animal fights. It

was three-tiered building. As time went on, the Colosseum became neglected. Still today, it

remains a popular tourist attraction, even though two-thirds of the original Colosseum lay

decimated.

Soon after dawn, the procession began, to commence the gladiator duels. A trumpet

sounded and priests came out to perform the religious ceremony to begin the games. Next in the
procession, was the gladiators. They processed around the arena, saluted the sponsors, and were

then paired off to fight. Gladiators were formerly slaves, condemned criminals, prisoners of war,

or free volunteers. They lived and trained at a barracks. A battle ended with someone dying or

surrendering. If you surrendered, the crowd decided your fate. They signaled this, by having their

thumbs up or down. Down meant let him live, while up meant, kill him. The final decision

was left to the sponsor of the entertainment. Most sponsors voted the same vote as the crowd, as

they were trying to gain the crowds favor. Gladiators who died in the arena, were not lucky

granted a burial place beside roads. Being buried beside roads, was significant to the Roman

people, because they believed that life continued after death, and the dead enjoyed being a part of

life. Gladiators that survived the longest, or showed great courage were awarded the wooden

sword, which granted them the ability to not have to fight ever again. This was extremely rare

and held much honor. Many popular gladiators earned their name in history, by succeeding in

battle multiple times. Some of the most popular gladiators of ancient Rome are Spartacus,

Mevia, and Carpophorus. Spartacus was a Thracian gladiator sold into slavery. He led a revolt

with 70 other gladiators, killing their master. They traveled to Mt. Vesuvius and set free many

other gladiators. Mevia, was one of the few female gladiators. She fought wild animals, and had

to do so topless. Carpophorus was specialized in beast fighting. He was very strong and was

known for battling more than one beast at a time.

Another type of entertainment held at an amphitheater were the animal hunts. The usual

name for this event was venation, which means a hunt of wild animals. The wild beasts were

released from cages into the arena, where trained beast fighters hunted them. The hunters were

dressed in light clothing, and relied only on a thrusting spear and their agility. At the end of the
event, all animals and some hunters were killed, and disposed of. Some of the most popular beast

are wild dogs, boars, lions, and bears.

When watching the gladiator duels, there were many different types of gladiators. Some

types were specifically paired with other types. Each type was different, and had different

artifacts, that they could use towards their advantage. One of the most famous type of gladiator is

the retiarius. This gladiator fought with a trident and a net. A trident is a spear, with three pints at

the end. The retiarius used the net, to knock their opponent of balance. They had very little armor

to protect themselves. Another famous gladiator is the murmillo, which means fish men. They

earned their name by their appearance, which looks like a fish. They fought with a spear, shield,

and a dagger, in case they dropped their spear.

During the time when Rome was in power, they became influenced by many cultures,

such as Greece. Rome has influenced many cultures today with their powerful government,

architectural ideas, and social rights. The American government shares the ancient government

of Rome, many of their architecture, and their entertainment. Our sports have flourished off

Romans culture. We share many sports for instance, track and field, horse racing/chariot racing,

discus, and archery. Sports like wrestling and boxing were invented off Roman gladiator duels.

These games are very similar, except it is not as dangerous. The main point is that many

countries would not be the same, if not for all the accomplishments of Rome. This was the reason

that they were superior to all other nations, and that it was so difficult for Rome to fall. Roman

officials were very good, at securing all the needs of the Roman population, including

entertainment.
 Works Cited

Geible, James. "Different Types of Roman Gladiators." Primary Facts. Primary Facts 2017,

08 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2017. <http://primaryfacts.com/89/different-types-of-roman-

gladiators/>.

Alchin, Linda. "Gladiators." Gladiators. 2017 SiteSeen, 12 June 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/gladiators/>.

Patrick, Greg. "Gladiators." The Roman Empire. Public Broadcasting Service, 2006. Web. 06

Mar. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/gladiators.html>.

Cambridge Latin Course 1. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print.