Gladiators held the status of slaves, but were lauded like modern sports superstars. Their arena winnings could make them fabulously wealthy and attract scores of admiring women. A combination of strength and vulnerability,

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Gladiators held the status of slaves, but
were lauded like modern sports superstars.
Their arena winnings could make them
fabulously wealthy and attract scores of
admiring women. A combination of strength and
vulnerability, gladiators would pave the way
for later warriors. Roman gladiators were armed
in a variety of styles, designed to mimic
mythical figures and Romes past
enemies. Gladiators were matched to make their
fights exciting and entertaining.
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Gladiators did not usually choose their
profession - it chose them. Slaves, prisoners of
war and condemned criminals were first in line to
be taken up by a lanista, a trainer who would
purchase gladiator candidates and then sell them
or rent them out for use in combats staged by
wealthy individuals or public officials. Arson,
murder, mutiny and bankruptcy were among the acts
that could win a
sentence
of "damnatio ad ludum" or
"condemned to the gladiator schools."
(As demand
for gladiators increased,
this judgment became more

frequent.) On the other hand, those citizens
simply drawn
by the potential for prize money and popular
acclaim could
volunteer to become a gladiator
and receive a sign-on bonus. In
surrendering
their liberty and rank as Roman citizens,
however, they
were looked down upon.
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There were female gladiators until they were
banned by Emperor Septimus Severus in 200 AD
from fighting as gladiators. Women did become
-often of their own accord - gladiators,
fighting other women or male dwarfs. However,
though a male gladiator's social rank was low,
a woman's was even lower. The satirical writer
Juvenal scoffed, "What modesty can be looked
for in some

helmeted vixen, a renegade

from her sex, who thrives

on masculine violence - yet
would not
prefer to be a
man?"
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Student gladiators started out with wooden swords
to do battle with a wooden pole called a palus,
then moved on to a straw dummy before practicing
footwork, thrusts and feints on fellow students.
Ex-gladiators acted as instructors (doctores) and
provided
coaching in the fighting

techniques and weapons
of
specific gladiator roles. As gladiator games
grew,
imperial ludi (schools)

became the only

institutions authorized to
instruct novices
in the
gladiator craft. The ludi were
spread throughout the Roman empire. Rome featured
three (Ludus Magnus, Ludus Gallicus, Ludus
Dacicus), the largest of which, Ludus Magnus, was
connected to the Colosseum by an underground
passageway.
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Life at gladiator school was tough.
Gladiator schools were closely guarded -
Spartacus's famous revolt in 73 BC had
started in a school in Capua and the
government did not want a repeat. Living
quarters were organized like cells in a
prison Pompeii's gladiator school contained a
prison with sitting-room only. No real
weapons were allowed inside the school, nor
were gladiators-in- training allowed to exit.
At the same time, to guarantee a return on
their investment, gladiator owners had an
interest in making sure their fighters lived
long. Medical staff included dieticians and
masseurs. (Galen, the most famous of Roman
doctors and personal physician to Emperor Marcus
Aurelius, got his start as a doctor at a
gladiator school in Asia Minor.) Gladiators ate
three high-protein meals a day consisting of
barley grains (thought to protect the arteries
with fat and prevent bleeding to death), boiled
beans, oatmeal and, ash, believed to help fortify
the body. Gladiators were often called hordearii
or "barley men."
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Gladiators took common roles. Trainers at
gladiator schools would make the decision of what
role a gladiator was best suited to play. The
five main roles were (1)Thracian, (2)Samnite,
(3)Retarius, (4)Murmillo and (5)Secutor. But
gladiators could also fight as Dimachaerus
(two-sworded gladiator with no shield)
Laquearius (fought with a lasso and perhaps a
dagger) Eques (fought on horseback with a
lance) Essedarius (fought from a moving
chariot) Provocator (only gladiator to wear a
full breastplate of armor) Andabatus (wore a
helmet without eye holes).
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Gladiators could also be selected to be a venator
or bestiarius -- an animal fighter - though this
required separate training, perhaps at Rome's
Ludus Bestiariorim. One of the more dazzling
displays for games audiences was to see
gladiators dressed as enemies of Rome - Greeks
and Persians - fighting in naval battles
(naumachia) in a flooded arena.
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Gladiators had a slim chance of survival. Most
gladiators died young. The celebrity fighter
Flamma died at the age of 30 after winning 21 of
34 fights. Another respected fighter, Felix, was
one of the more long-lived, dying at age 45 after
receiving Roman citizenship. Aside from his own
skill, how a gladiator's fight went
depended largely on the crowd. Once a
gladiator could fight no more, he would
raise his left hand to the emperor or the
highest public official present. At that
point, the emperor looked to the crowd for
their recommendation. If they showed thumbs
down and shouted "Iugula!" (Cut his throat!),
he was killed. If they showed thumbs up and
shouted "Mitte!" (Release him!), he was allowed
to leave the arena and have his wounds treated.
However, at the same time, some celebrity
fights are thought to have been fixed. To ensure
that a slain gladiator was actually dead, a slave
dressed as the Etruscan demon, Charon, would
knock him on the head with a hammer. The slain
gladiator was then dragged from the arena through
the Gate of Death and slaves raked over the arena
to prepare it for the next fight.
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Gladiators who won in the arena were presented
with palm branches and a bowl, usually made of
silver, containing gold coins. If they continued
to win fights and their fame grew, they could
receive additional gifts. The Emperor Nero, a
hard-core devotee of gladiator games, gave a
palace to the gladiator Spiculus. Other
gladiators were promoted to form the personal
guard of Mark Anthony. If the crowd voted
for his retirement, a gladiator could stop
fighting. This was something, though, that was
only offered to the most successful of
gladiators. The symbol of the event was a wooden
sword, known as a rudis, was given to the
gladiator by the emperor. Only one gladiator,
Flamma, is known to have ever turned down
retirement - an incredible four times. After a
few years, gladiators might be sent to work in
the gladiator schools for several more years.
Rich gladiators could retire to a life of ease.
Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) once offered 1,000
gold coins to retired gladiators who would agree
to return to the arena.
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Gladiators received popular acclaim. Successful
gladiators
could enjoy a following not far different
from what modern
athletes command today. The Roman Empire valued
military
exploits above all else and the ability of a
fighter to
face death without flinching was highly revered.
Gladiators were featured in wall mosaics, oil
lamps and other ornaments. Rich women flocked
to the banquets held for gladiators on the eve
of their games. Procuring female companions was
no problem for the victorious gladiator.
Emperor Commodus gave one of the most potent
displays of the extent to which gladiators could
command the
respect of their audience.
Rumored to be the
son of a gladiator,
Commodus fought a
reported 300 times as a
gladiator, dressed as
the god Hercules
and showing a particular like
for taking on wild animals such
as tigers and
elephants.
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The most common type of gladiator was probably
the Samnite warrior who was the heaviest armored
gladiator. They took their name, costume
and weapons from the mighty warriors of
Samnium, a region in southern Italy
conquered by Rome. The Samnite gladiator
wore an imposing helmet with crest and
visor. He used a large oblong shield called
a scutum, similar to those of Roman
legionaries but possibly tapered towards
the bottom to render it more agile.
Besides the helmet, the Samnite gladiator
also wore armored protection over his right
arm and left leg. They had a short gladius
sword.
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The Thracian gladiator was considered lightly
armored. Thracian gladiators were modeled
after fighters from the northern Greece region
of Thrace. Their strategy focused on their
sword, which was fashioned to snake past
heavier opponents' shields. The Thracian was
equipped with a broad-rimmed helmet that
enclosed the entire head, a small round or
square-shaped shield, and two thigh-length
greaves. He carried a very small round or
square shield called parma and a very curved
sword called sica. The sica was a brutal
gladiator weapon. He wore leg guards on both
legs and these guards they were very tall,
covering up to the tops of his thighs.
Thracians always fought heavily armored
gladiators. The armor and dash with which
Thracians performed their fights made these among
the most popular of gladiators.
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The gladiator Retiarius (net fighter in English),
fought with a trident (a 3 pronged fishing spear)
and a net!! He fought as a fisherman with deadly
purpose. In contrast to other gladiators, the
Retarius wore no helmet and very little armor.
He had only on his left shoulder a metal
shield protection called galerus and his arm
was protected with leather or metal. No
helmet or shield... but he was very light and
fast. A leather belt provided some protection
to his abdomen and an arm guard with a
shoulder shield on his left arm protected one
side. Speed and dexterity were his strategic
advantages. The Retarius gladiator would use
his lead- weighted net to ensnare an opponent
and then move in for the kill with his
trident. If his cast missed its object, the
Retarius could retrieve it via an attached cord.
The Retarius would often chant to his opponent
I seek not you, I seek a fish. Why do you flee
from me?
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The Murmillo was also called the fish man.
This gladiator is thought to have been derived
from the dress and weapons of prisoners of war
from the conquered Gauls who had been living
in northern Italy. It was identified by images
of scales on his helmet. He wore a
high-crested, broad-rimmed helmet similar to
the shape of a fish, with a perforated face
mask. He used a short sword and greaves (shin
armor) and leather or linen armor for the
sword arm. In the other arm he carried a big,
round shield that protected his unarmored
legs. Although he looks unprotected, the
Romans classified him as a "heavy" gladiator
because of his large shield. He often had
to fight against a Retiarius. It is kind of
ironic, because Retiarius' tried to catch
their opponent in a net!
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The gladiator Secutor (chaser in English), got
his name from his fighting technique. In fact, he
used to chase his opponent around the arena. The
Secutor was specially trained to fight a
retarius. The very distinctive helmet of
the Secutor had only two small eye-holes, in
order to prevent a Retiarius's trident from
being thrust through the face, as well as a
rounded top, so as not to get caught in a
net. The flanges protecting his neck were
smooth and shaped like fish fins for this
purpose. Because of the weight and lack of
space in the helmet, the Secutor had to be
quick, unless he fall to exhaustion or faint
due to breath constrictions. The
Secutor's entire left side was protected by a
heavy curved shield and a metal leg guard.
The secutor wore a loincloth, and
a wide belt (much like the retiarius). On his
right arm, he wore a manicae (a heavy linen or
metal wrapping tied with leather thongs), and on
his left leg, he wore a ocrea (a greave made of
boiled leather or metal). He also carried a
scutum (a curved rectangular shield) to protect
himself.