From this passage it is clear that gladiators in most respects are treated like human beings.
Types of Gladiators and their armour
There are three main types of gladiators, all of whom risk their lives every time they step foot into the great coliseum. Gladiators were originally named according to their equipment and the country which they came from.
A Thracian - wore okra on both legs, carried a small square shield, wore either a full visor helmet or an open faced helmet with a wide brim, and carried a curved Thracian sword with an angled bend in the blade;
This is a picture of a Thracian vs a Thracian
You can see they are both wearing fully visor helmets and the one on the left has a bent sword and has dropped his square shaped shield.
A Gaul – A gaul, was originally lightly armoured, using the traditional Gallic equipment of a long flat shield with a spindle boss and cut and thrust sword with a straight blade about 60 cm. By the late republic he was armed with a slashing sword and had acquired a helmet.
A samnite – The samnite was probably originally a lightly armoured Gladiator fighting in the samnite way but over time he became heavily armed and by the end of the republic he was a standard heavily armed gladiator. At the beginning of the imperial period he became known by a different name (hoplomachus). He wore a large crested helmet with a visor, and a thigh length grieves on his left leg and he carried a large rectangular shield of the type used by legionaries.
A separate type of gladiator created a great event against the three main pursuers. They were named as the retiarius and were very lightly armoured.
There is no evidence to suggest why the retiarius wore such strange equipment. To me it seems a very strange concept. The idea of a gladiator with just a net a trident and a breast plate could fight a fully armoured samnite. A retiarius was basically a gladiator armed with a net for entangling his adversary and a trident for despatching him.
However the retiarius were very popular and were very entertaining and exciting. They were quick and agile which would make it very exciting for the audience.
Armour had a real affect on how popular the games became. Roman citizens must have found it very exciting watching fully armoured men against weak looking opponents. Armour would add an extra exciting factor to the games.
This is a picture of a trhracian vs a retiari
From this picture it is clear that a retiari would have a huge
disadvantage, because of the lack of armour. However because he is wearing very little therefore he is able to move freely, he must be quick and agile to ever achieve victory. In some ways less armour works in his favour because after a while a heavily armoured gladiator would become very hot and tired which allows the retiarius to use his speed and fitness to produce a killing blow. I feel this is also a reason why the games became so popular because there is such a wide range of gladiators who each fight in there own way which is one reason for it being so exciting.
Different types of gladiators and their armour
This is a gladiator scene from the zilten mosaic. This scene shows a retiarius on the far left. He is wearing a shoulder shield and an arm guard. It this picture it shows he has been disarmed and appears to be wounded. He is fighting a secutor. A secutor was known as the pursuer and would fight virtually naked. He would carry a large oval shield and a sword or a dagger. He would also wear okra on his left leg, with a ribbon round his wrist and a fully visor helmet. The secutor is holding up his finger which means he is in a plea for mercy. Gladiators would usually fight to the death but in some rare cases gladiators would be spared if he had fought well. He would appeal for mercy by holding his finger up which is what the retiarius is doing. If the retiarius was successful then the crowd would give him a ‘thumbs pressed’ signal. If the crowd gave him this signal the retiarius would walk away alive, however if he got the ‘thumbs turned’ signal he would be killed. He would be killed amidst a fanfare of trumpets. The actual meaning of the phrases ‘thumbs pressed’ and the ‘thumbs turned’ is not 100 per cent certain. It is said the thumb represents the gladiator’s sword. The modern phrases ‘thumbs up’ and thumbs down’ are said to be a misunderstanding of the above phrases.
The second scene e.g. the fight in the middle shows a fight between a two heavily armoured gladiators of uncertain types. However I feel they are two Thracian gladiators because they have square shields okra and fully visor helmets with bent swords. Next to them is another Thracian. He has a small shield and is standing waiting whilst his opponent puts his finger up to beg for mercy. It is clear his opponent is heavily armoured. He is appealing to the ‘Lanista’. The lanista is a referee or a trainer. He is holding a whip so he can keep the gladiators under control at all times. This may be a con because it stops full on gladiator fights and the referee may stop it at very tense moments however the excitement would still be there.
Advertisement at the games
.
This type of advertising would not be found in programmes or on the television, it would usually be found on walls of houses. This show is a typical small show held by the Roman Empire. This would make the games much more exciting because people would know what to
expect and would go to the shows where there favourite events were being performed and their favourite gladiator was performing.
Bibliography
This programme of events would have been issued in and around the Coliseum to give people a feel of what the day will be like. This programme of events would have occurred on a normal day at the Coliseum. For example beast fights would have taken place on most gladiatorial games. It is as if beast fights were a warm up game which allowed the crowd to get a feel of the atmosphere and excitement and also blood. At lunch time because it may become hot and stuffy a canopy was placed over the coliseum. This canopy was also reversible. Many people would bring a pillow and a lunch to eat during comic turns. The killing of criminals was also a warm up to what was about to come, however they led them out with shackles around there arm and neck. As they would stand there naked they would either be attacked by a wild beast or killed by a solider or guard of the emperor.
This photo shows the criminal being attacked by a cheetah which also shows Rome’s vast expansive power.
However I still feel the most exciting part would be the gladiatorial battles. I think many Romans would also agree. All the other displays lead up to the finale, which is what makes the games so fantastic.
The coliseum and the affect it would have on the excitement of the games
Originally the coliseum was named as the Flavian theatre and could hold around 50,000 people, it had 80 entrances and was 64merres in height. The coliseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy and is the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. The coliseum shows the sheer enormity of Rome’s political power and to fight or spectate in such a magnificent piece of architectural brilliance would be incredible. It would have such a great atmosphere and any Roman would be proud to be considered a Roman citizen. The coliseum is the icing on the cake. It would make the gladiatorial games so exciting. Although it is now in a
ruined condition due to damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum has long been seen as an ionic symbol of Imperial Rome
Roman citizens views on Gladiator fighting and my own
There were many mixed reviews about ancient gladiator fights. Many people did not like the idea of pointless sacrifice and some people enjoyed the exhilarating bloodshed which the games provided. Evidence shows many emperors did not even like the idea of gladiatorial fights and bloodshed, for example Marcus Aurellius believed gladiator shows to be boring, and also saw the gladiators as privileged athletes and so took extraordinary measures to prevent bloodshed and death. He tried to limit the amount of deaths by making all swords have blunt points and he banned iron blades. Seneca the Roman writer wrote this, ‘once I happened to go to the Midday Games. Expecting to see some light entertainment, or at least something different from the usual bloodshed. It was the exact opposite the other shows were a picnic in comparison, This was pure murder, and in dead earnest.
When one man falls, another irnmediately takes his place
And this goes on and on, till none are left, for even the last
man is kiked.
You may say, ‘But that one committed a robbery
So what? Does he deserve to be crucified?
He committed murder.
Even so, does he deserve to die like this? What sort of punishment do you deserve, you wretch, for watching him?
All day long the crowd cries, ‘Kill him, flog him, burn
him Why does he run on to the sword so timidly? Why
is he so unwilling to die?’
It is not so much Seneca’s dislike of the games which intrigues me it is also to do with his dislike of the crowd. It is clear he hates bloodshed however he is a civilised civilian who does not want to be part of a murderous empire.
However St Augustine saw the opposite. He quotes ‘When I saw the blood, I could not turn away but I kept my eyes on it. I was delighted by the cruelty and frenzy; I was almost drunk with pleasure of seeing blood split. I watched, I shouted, I raged with excitement. In the end I became a more devoted fan of the show than any of my companions.’
This is the other side of the argument where St. Augstine was thrilled and excited by the bloodshed and constant shouting.
I for one believe that I would have enjoyed a day out and I would have really enjoyed a day at the colleseum. However in my opinion it would have gotten rather tedious. Week in week out you would watch pointless bloodshed. Although I realise there was a lot of war in ancient Rome and the government needed many people to be in their army. In order to accomplish the gladiators would have to be trained to kill and they needed to keep the people of Rome bloodthirsty and also willing to fight. A main way of doing so was training gladiators and encouraging gladiatorial games. It also helped the audience to have a feel of bloodshed and become used to the sight of murder.
Awards for winning gladiators
Victors received laurels, monetary payment, plus donations from the crowd. In some situations they could win their freedom. At the end of service a gladiator won a wooden sword (rudis). He could then become a gladiator trainer or a freelance bodyguard. They would have also won great respect from fellow citizens and maybe a statue erected in their honour. It would have also have been a great thing to achieve however some gladiators enjoy fame and glory so much they continue as a gladiator.
Modern day views on Gladiatorial fights
In modern day films and books the authors/directors make out as if gladiators were treated poorly and how they are always trying to escape. However recent studies show only 10 per cent of gladiators died in combat. The life expectancy of a gladiator was averaged at around 30, but this was in an age where middle class citizens who on average were dying around the age of 20. So this shows gladiators had a greater life expectancy than middle class citizens. It has also been discovered gladiators only fought around 3-4 fights a year. However there were some exceptions such as some men fought in all nine days of trajans shows. From this passage it is clear that being a gladiator does not seem as bad as it has been made out to be.
Conclusion
In conclusion a gladiator’s life differs from gladiator to gladiator. It is all dependant on the master and trainer which the gladiator swore their oath upon. It is also dependant on the level which they are at in training. There are many positives and negatives, for example the awards which they achieve are brilliant. The medical care and food they receive is great. The sound of 50,000 people cheering there name in the coliseum would also enthral them. However some aspects of life would be awful. For example not having a roman citizenship, and in your mind knowing every day could be your last. It is clear the life of a gladiator was ambiguous: on the one hand to be a Gladiator was the ultimate social disgrace and in fact they were legally designated as ‘infamia’ (loss of certain public rights) but on the other hand, some successful gladiators rose to celebrity status.
I also feel the major aspect which made the games so exciting was the different types of gladiators, and the different types of armour worn.
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