Ancient Roman Gladiators
by Marci RanzerGladiators were popular heroes in the ancient world of Rome. Ancient Roman Gladiators were considered men of great virility and in 80 AD they ascended to a stage of blood in order to celebrate the glory of the ultimate Empire.
The ancient Roman Gladiators participated in games that ultimately celebrated death. These games served as a source of amusement to the Roman citizens and Emperors. Opening ceremonies of the Gladiator games lasted 100 days and these shows were all day affairs. The games included 3,000 Gladiators who fought each other, many to their death.
The Gladiators fought in an arena called the Colosseum. The Roman Colosseum was a theater devoted to the Gladiator games. The Colosseum dominated the skyline reaching up to 14 stories high. During the Gladiator games 50,000 Roman citizens filled the Roman Colosseum. Inside, spectators sat on bleachers supported by stonewalls and arches.
The Gladiators prided themselves on their masculine vigor and were especially popular heroes. They were revered by the Roman citizens and known for their bravery and drive. They had to be prepared to die during any fight.
Gladiators were most often fugitives who were captured by the Romans, prisoners of war, and criminals. However, some free men did choose to become Gladiators, and very rarely, women became Gladiators as well. Victors won cash prizes and often the Gladiators who were slaves used their winnings to buy their freedom.
There were many different types of Roman Gladiators. The “retiarius” is the defeated fighter. The “secutor” is the pursuer. The retiarius often battled the secutor. The “murmillo,” the “thraex,” the “essedarius” and the “hoplomachus” are other types of Gladiators. These different types of Gladiators could usually be distinguished by the way they dressed during battles as well as their entrance into the Colosseum before a fight. For example, the secutor and the murmillo both used a curved shield in fights.
Gladiators were trained before combat and they specialized in their individual fighting style. Their styles of fighting and weapons often copied those used in real combat with enemies defeated in the past. It was thought that the word “gladius” from which Gladiator comes from, means sword. Gladiators were admired amongst woman. At times women even ran off with them. The warriors sometimes took stage names based on sex appeal and charisma. One Gladiator called himself ‘Lord of the Maidens.’ During battles Gladiators used weapons such as swords and protected themselves with shields, metal guards and helmets. Often Gladiators fought in pairs, some even fought on horseback.
For the sake of entertainment, 10,000 wild animals were slaughtered in Gladiator games. The Romans spent a huge amount of time and effort bringing together animals from all over the world such as hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, lions, antelopes, and elephants. These animals were brought for the delight and amazement of the crowd.
However, it was chiefly the Gladiatorial fights that people came to see. Gladiatorial fights were battles involving extravagant performances. Emperors had little tolerance for human error during the combats. When stagehands were clumsy with the sets for one competition, the Emperor Claudius ordered them all into the Roman Colosseum and killed. Helpless prisoners of war were butchered by the hundreds and criminals were fed to wild beasts. Through these bloody reenactments, the crowds relived the glory of Roman conquest.
Based on the work of scholars, Hollywood studios recreated the out of the ordinary spectacles and battle games at the Colosseum. The movie “Gladiator” starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, the powerful Roman general and Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, came out in 2000. “Gladiator” was extremely successful at the box office, proving that Roman Gladiators and their extreme combat competitions are still of interest today.
