The Gladiator
In the Flavian amphitheatre, gladiatorial fights took place in the afternoon. Their name comes from the short sword they used in fights: the 'gladius'. The gladiator in Rome learnt the art of gladiatorial combat in 'ludi', schools that were barracks very similar to prisons found throughout the empire; he slept in small cells arranged around the courtyard where he trained.
The ludi were directed by an owner (the lanista), an instructor of the gladiators who had absolute power over them. In Rome, the imperial ludi, (the only authorised schools), housed up to 2000 men: the 'ludus matutinus' where wild beast hunters practised, the 'ludus gallicus', the 'ludus dacicus' and the 'ludus magnus'.
The gladiators could be prisoners of war, criminals, convicts, slaves, condemned men or free men with no future; they could be inexperienced or true professionals, especially prisoners of war who, after having experienced several armed struggles, fights, battles and sufferings, were particularly hardened and fierce and often came from distant lands such as Thrace and Germany. These characters were the most sought-after and since they had no other way of living a decent existence, they willingly put themselves forward and strongly committed to the dangerous career of the gladiator.
Women also fought, but they were very rare and therefore also in great demand. The popularity of the winning gladiator was truly remarkable, the people extolled him and followed the fights and shows with passion and his name became famous.
Gladiators trained in different assault or defence techniques with the use of different weapons, and depending on the type of weapon and technique they used, they were called: 'cetervari', 'secutores', 'reziari', 'mirmillones' and 'traces'.
In the fights, different pairs of gladiators were always pitted against each other; the most classic ones were between the 'reziari' and the 'mirmilloni' and between the 'traci' and the 'secutores'.
The gladiator who had defeated his opponent would turn to the amphitheatre audience to ask what fate the crowd wanted to reserve for the defeated one, and the crowd, with a hand sign, would decide for death or life: the thumb pointing upwards, 'mitte' (safe) meant he should live and the thumb pointing downwards, 'jugula' (death) meant he should die. In the end, however, it was the emperor or the organiser of the spectacle in question who determined the fate of the defeated gladiator with his thumb.
Each gladiator killed cost the emperor or the person organising the spectacle a very high amount of money and, clearly, they did not easily ask for their death; it probably also depended on the strong demand of the spectator population.
The gladiators' fights were inspired by mythological episodes, always trying to compete with new spectacles and new ideas in order not to tire the audience, while also staging grotesque situations that entertained and excited the crowd at the same time.
The gladiators were, in fact, prisoners and could not escape; they could only regain their freedom by fighting in the arena and hoping that some powerful person would notice their courage and strength and decide to free them. This hope was in the hearts of the gladiators and helped them to better endure their fate.
The gladiator therefore had a difficult and very risky life. He fought for life, for freedom and for glory, and the Roman people appreciated and were fascinated by the strength and courage of the victorious gladiator who became a great hero.
Who were the Roman gladiators?
Gladiators were slaves, prisoners of war but also free men. One could also choose to become a gladiator.
From the first century BC, in addition to prisoners of war, a large number of slaves guilty of very serious crimes were forced to become gladiators.
They were obliged to enter a gladiatorial school and in most cases postponed their death sentence but also had the possibility of rehabilitation.
Some gladiators managed to regain a place in society by fighting in the arena and demonstrating courage and skill with performances that captured the approval of the spectators.
For some slaves the prospect was worse; some were condemned to death by ferocious beasts (ad bestias). Even citizens who committed very serious crimes could be condemned to atrocious death in the arena, by the sword (ad gladium) and for other slaves there was the even more tragic death by crucifixion (crucifixio).
Most gladiators, therefore, were forced into this role, but there was no shortage of free men who showed up voluntarily because they were fascinated by risk and violence.
These men entered into a contract that lasted for a certain period and entered the gladiator schools to prepare for fights.
Many did it for money, others because they were attracted by the strong emotions experienced during the fighting, others to leave behind a state of great poverty that made it very difficult for them to live and find a dignified place in society.
Most of the free citizens who enlisted were discharged soldiers who, after being subjected to so much violence, could no longer integrate into normal city life.
It also happened that the sons of knights and senators fought as volunteers in the arena, perhaps for one time and with less dangerous weapons, probably to prove something or to change their lives in some way.
Some aristocrats also fought in the arena without following the training of gladiator schools. Senators and knights temporarily became gladiators for fun or because they were forced to by the emperor who wanted to charge them something.
Apparently, even the emperors themselves could not resist the allure of fighting in the colosseum.
Some of them, such as Titus, Hadrian, Caligula and the famous comedian who regularly dressed as a gladiator, performed in the arena.
Conveniently, it seems to have been a real hobby, a kind of game and entertainment, and it is clear that no gladiator would ever have dared to harm his emperor...
Life expectancy of the Gladiators of Rome
What life expectancy did the gladiators have? Under what conditions did they face the arena? For a gladiator, how could a fight end in the arena?
Fighting with one's colleagues and friends.
A fight in the arena for a gladiator could end in five different ways: the gladiator could win or he could be killed, he could be executed by the people or by the emperor after surrendering, he could leave the arena alive by grace and if the fight ended in a draw he could leave together with his opponent.
Whenever a gladiator faced a fight, he knew that the probability of dying was quite high both in the arena and from his injuries. Gladiators who behaved heroically were more likely to be pardoned by the people.
Many gladiators died young even after only one fight.
Trying to imagine the state of mind of the gladiators as they trained, as they shared schools and the place where they lived, it occurs to me that it was probably difficult for many of them to have a word with the friend who would become an enemy in the arena to be confronted and perhaps killed or by whom to be killed.
The stress to which gladiators were subjected on a daily basis was certainly no picnic and the living conditions were anything but easy, especially for those who did not have a great reputation and were considered mediocre fighters.
Indeed, it seems that many gladiators, especially new recruits, often attempted to escape. It also seems that many of the gladiators who were not regarded as heroes and great fighters, living a very difficult everyday life preferred suicide to the humiliation and honourless death that could be presented to them in the arena.
Origin of gladiatorial fights or gladiatorial games
How did gladiatorial fights or gladiatorial games begin? When were gladiatorial fights held?
Gladiatorial combat and the cult of the dead.
Gladiatorial fights (munera) derive their origins from the cult of the dead. We can see that already in Homer's Iliad it is recounted that in honour of the deceased hero Patroclus, funeral games were held and prisoners were sacrificed for this, who had to fight each other to the death. With these sacrifices, it was thought that the spirit of the deceased could find peace, real magic rites
It seems that the first Roman ludi can be traced back to the time of Tarquinius Priscus when Rome was under the influence of the Etruscans, but gladiatorial combat came much later.
In 264 BC, there was the first fight between gladiators in honour of the 10th Junius Brutus Pera during the funeral ceremony.
Soon, gladiatorial fights became essential in the funeral ceremonies of Roman nobles, but also in special events and festivities of Roman life.
"[...] the inferiae are the sacrifices for the dead, offered to the realm of the dead. Undoubtedly it was customary to kill prisoners of war in front of the graves of valiant men: since this custom seemed cruel, it seemed appropriate to have gladiators called bustuarii, from the busta [...] fight in front of the graves.
(commentaries in vergili aeneidos, book x, 519)
In addition to gladiatorial fights, executions and hunting shows with ferocious animals, tragedies and comedies were also added, and from 186 B.C. onwards. Greek professional athletes also began to perform in Rome.
Another great spectacle was the chariot race where the first to cross the finish line with the chariot drawn by the four horses achieved great fame among the Roman people.
But despite the variety of spectacles, the favourite was always the gladiator fights, which were organised by public officials elected by the people.
To become someone and be appreciated by the people, one had to create an unforgettable spectacle with various lavish and expensive entertainments.
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