Though very low ranking in Roman society, gladiators were widely admired and adored as brave and faithful Romans.
A gladiator was a professional fighter who fought other gladiators and even animals in amphitheaters around the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. Gladiators fought for over 600 years of Rome’s history, evolving from modest ceremonial combats into grand entertainment spectaculars, filled with violence and gore. These battles, often fought to a bloody death, were adored by the Roman citizens, as were the gladiators themselves.
The word gladiator comes from the Latin gladiatores, or “swordsmen”, taken from the Latin word gladius, which was a short sword used by the legionaries. Gladiators were by no means as high ranking on the Roman status ladder as a soldier, but they were nonetheless regarded highly in Roman society.
Gladiators were usually slaves or war prisoners who were bought by a lanista (a manager and trainer of gladiators) in order to be trained as proper gladiators. There were also many free men who actually volunteered to be gladiators, no doubt craving the celebrity that the profession garnered. Potential gladiators learned to fight at one of the several gladiatorial schools around the empire, known as ludi. Though low in social ranking, successful gladiators were often able to achieve celebrity status among the higher classes. They were considered brave, disciplined, and faithful, as a result of the gladiatorial oath they had to live by. This oath obliged them to endure the hardships of life as a slave to a master, yet face their fates with their heads held high and weapons drawn in the arenas.
There were several types of gladiators, who were trained to be proficient in the use of different weaponry, and wore different types of armor (not Roman military armor, but a lower grade, to prevent confusion among citizens between the two classes of men). Some gladiators who had been prisoners of war used their native weapons and armor, and portrayed themselves as their “native” characters in battles, such as Gauls or Thracians.
Gladiators were professionals, and were paid after each fight. If a gladiator managed to outlive his opponents in the arena for 5 years, he would be set free. Gladiators were adored by the public, especially the women, and enjoyed a great many perks in life.
The tradition of the gladiatorial games was steeped in religious significance. The Romans claim to have adapted the tradition of gladiatorial combat from the Etruscans, who believed that the spirit of a notable dead man need a blood sacrifice to carry on to the afterlife. The first Roman gladiatorial games were held in the city of Rome in 264 B.C. Held in the Forum Boarium (the cattle market), these games were in honor of Junius Brutus, a prominent citizen. His sons Marcus and Decimus put on the modest games that consisted of contests between three pairs of slaves. The games evolved through the centuries into a huge public affair, fought in huge arenas, like the Roman Colosseum, all over the empire, to thousands of spectators at a time. Though outlawed by the Emperor Constantine I in A.D. 325, the gladiatorial games continued until A.D. 404, when the Emperor Honorius put a final stop to the public events.
Today, we see similar significance in pubic events with spectator sports like football, soccer, and rugby. Though the athletes do not fight to the death, they are revered by the public as heroes, just as the ancient Roman gladiators were adored, and the entertainment value of the events are just as large-scale.
Next, we will look at the training involved in becoming a gladiator, and what typical gladiatorial combat entailed.
Source consulted:
"The Roman Gladiator". Retrieved from http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiator1.html, 14 October 2006.
