During the time the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, gladiators were armed combatants that fought for the entertainment of audiences either against other gladiators, wild animals, or condemned prisoners. Although some gladiators were brought on as slaves, some volunteered in search of glory and the love of the people; regardless, it was a hard life. The gladiatorial games lasted for around 1,000 years, reaching its peak between the 1st century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D. Now, take a look to see what life was really like as one of these competitive warriors and how it differs from how popular culture has presented it.
The "Thumbs Down" Gesture Probably Didn't Mean Death
It's a common misconception that when a gladiator was wounded or threw down his weapon in surrender, the emperor had the final say whether the fighter lived or died by giving a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" gesture. However, in reality, it was usually the crowd that the emperor and the game's organizers let decide.
Although there are many depictions of emperors condemning gladiators to death in this fashion, historians have other theories. Some believe that the sign for death may have been a thumbs up, while a hand with a closed fist and two fingers extended or a waived handkerchief could have meant mercy.
There Were Female Gladiators
As slaves, many females were forced to fight to the death alongside their male counterparts, yet few females volunteered for the games. Although it's not exactly known when women first began fighting in the arena, by the first century A.D., they were a regular part of the games.
One marble relief dating around the 2nd century A.D. depicts two women fighting named "Amazon" and "Achillia," with an inscription that reads that they fought to an honorable draw. Women also participated in animal hunts until they were banned from the games by Emperor Septimius Severus in 200 A.D.
Some Gladiators Rose To Become Celebrities
Just because someone fought in the gladiatorial arena, that didn't make them a gladiator, with many being slaves or prisoners. Gladiators were warrior athletes, with many of them becoming celebrities among the lower classes and even some of the elite.
Like many professional athletes today, children would play with figurines of their favorite gladiators or fight with wooden swords pretending to be their favorite. They were also incredibly popular with women, with some even wearing hairpins and jewelry dripped in gladiator blood or mixing gladiator sweat into cosmetics, believing it would act as an aphrodisiac.
Gladiators Didn't Usually Fight Animals
Although there were countless animal hunts at the Colosseum, rarely were gladiators involved. Typically, these hunts were done by the "venatores" and "bestiarii," warriors who specialized in hunting and fighting animals ranging from deer to elephants. Animal events were regularly the opening to the games, with thousands of creatures being slain in a single exhibition.
In honor of the opening of the Colosseum, nine thousand animals were killed in 100 days, and that was just the beginning. Although many animals were killed for sport, others were trained to perform tricks or even fight against one another.
Some Emperors Participated In Combat
While hosting the games was a great way for emperors to become popular with the people, some emperors went so far as to actually participate in combat. Many emperors, such as Titus, Caligula, and Hadrian fought. However, it was in a controlled environment and usually with dull blades.
Other rulers, such as Emperor Commodus, would kill animals from a raised platform or face off against inexperienced fighters or poorly armed members of the audience. Of course, he would win, and would usually help himself to a large reward.
Fights Weren't Always To The Death
Modern popular culture may depict gladiatorial battles as a free-for-all with the last man standing as the victor, in reality, many of the fights followed strict regulations. Gladiators were often matched according to their size and skill with referees on hand to stop a fight if someone becomes seriously wounded. In some cases, both gladiators were able to leave the Colosseum with honor if they put on a good show.
Furthermore, gladiators were an investment and cost a lot of money to house, train, and feed, which meant the last thing promoters wanted to see was them killed. Of course, many did die, with historians estimating between one-in-five or one-in-ten fights resulting in death.
Gladiatorial Fights May Have Started As Part Of Funerals
While some historians have attributed the Roman games as coming from Etruscan traditions, others now claim they got their start as a part of funerals for wealthy nobles. When esteemed aristocrats died, their families would organize graveside fights between slaves or prisoners to honor their memory.
According to Roman writers Tertullian and Festus, because the Romans believed that blood helped purify the deceased's soul, these bouts were a type of blood sacrifice. Eventually, these violent spectacles became increasingly popular and turned into what we know them as today.
Not All Gladiators Started As Slaves
A lot of people that were brought to fight in the arena may have come in chains, with only a select few rising to the professional title of a gladiator. However, some grave inscriptions from the 1st century A.D. showed that being a gladiator became appealing to free men.
Winning the hearts of the people and a comfortable lifestyle drove many men to volunteer to sign up for gladiator school with the hope of winning glory and wealth. Many of these men were former soldiers or members of the upper class looking to exhibit their prowess in combat.
There Were Different Classes Of Gladiators
Regardless if the fighters were slaves or free men who signed up to be gladiators, each gladiator was assigned to a class. The classes were typically organized by physical stature as well as skill. For example, stronger and larger men would most likely be assigned as dimachaerus, who would often fight with two swords at once.
The majority of gladiators, however, fell into the class of thraeces or murmillones, who would carry a single weapon, shield, and body armor. Those unlucky enough were retiarius, who would be armed with a net and a trident.
Gladiators Ate A Mostly Vegetarian Diet
Of course, men that trained to fight against others in combat had to be incredibly fit, and for the most part, the majority of them were. However, they didn't eat the kind of high-protein diet that most people would assume, to have the physiques that they did.
Evidence collected from archaeologists has shown that most gladiators ate a primarily plant-based diet. Historian Pliny the Elder notes that Gladiators were often referred to as hordearlii, meaning "barley eaters." Not only was it healthy but a cheap way to feed the warriors.
They Trained With Wooden Swords That Were Also The Key To Their Freedom
Because gladiators were already incredibly expensive to house, feed, and train, the gladiators' owners wanted to protect their investments. This meant that they didn't want their fighters to get injured during training or spend an unnecessary amount on equipment.
So, during training, the gladiators would fight using wooden swords known as rudis. If a gladiator's owner gave them their rudis after winning a fight or proving their worth, the gladiators were free of service. Those who came back to the arena after receiving their rudis would draw massive crowds.
Gladiator Schools Were Often Run By Retired Gladiators
Although few gladiators lived long enough to retire, and those that did had a hard time assimilating into Roman society. However, for many that did live long enough, they tended to stay in the gladiatorial business.
The staff at gladiator schools, known as magistri, were often former gladiators themselves. They would pass on their own combat knowledge and methods of how to win over the crowd onto the new generation, often teaching gladiators of the same class. Magistri lived at the school and had better accommodations than the gladiators in training.
Some Gladiators Organized Themselves Into Trade Unions
While gladiators may have been pitted against one another in combat for the entertainment of the masses, many viewed themselves as a brotherhood. In some instances, gladiators even organized themselves into unions or collegia, with their own elected leaders.
When a member of the group would die in a fight, the others would ensure that their dead comrade received the proper burial that they deserved with a grave inscription detailing their accomplishments in the arena. If the man also had a family, they would also make sure that the family was taken care of financially.
The Fight That Won Both Men Their Freedom
One of the most famous fights took place in the first century between two gladiators, Priscus and Versus. Both were renowned fighters, so it was unsurprising when the two were set to fight against each other in order to celebrate the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater.
A poet by the name of Martial was there to record the events. He wrote that the two warriors fought for hours, matching each other in skill and bravery, even both submitting at the same time. However, because of the impressive performance each gave, both men were awarded their freedom.
They Drank A Special Concoction To Recover After A Fight
According to ancient writer and historian Pliny the Elder, after a fight, gladiators had a special drink they would consume to help them recover. In his writings, Natural History, he recommends that the gladiator drink a cup of water mixed with ashes in order to help with "abdominal cramps and bruises."
He continued in his writings, "One can see how gladiators after a combat are helped by this." Furthermore, archaeologists have found higher levels of calcium in the skeletal of gladiators, hinting that many did consume such a drink.
The Odds Of Gaining Freedom Weren't Likely
Unless a gladiator performed exceptionally well in the arena, it's incredibly unlikely that a gladiator would win their freedom after only one, or even a few fights. Typically, most gladiators would fight around 15 times before they would even be considered to be granted their freedom.
Assuming that they fought three times a year, that's a minimum of five years that they were in service as a gladiator. Furthermore, considering that around one-fifth of all fights ended in one of the combatants dying, living through enough fights to gain freedom seems unlikely.
Lower-Class Gladiators Were Mistreated In Both Life And Death
Archaeological evidence has demonstrated that the lower the status of a gladiator, the more likely they were mistreated in regard to their death. While celebrity gladiators lived decent lives, even compared to some free men, the lowest class of gladiators, known as Noxii, had things a lot worse.
These were the gladiators made up of criminals and other prisoners, who, if defeated, had their skulls crushed by a games official dressed as a Roman god of the Underworld, even if they died with dignity. They were also usually not given a burial and were left as carrion.
Some Gladiators Didn't Want Their Freedom
Along with those who volunteered to fight as gladiators, some of the enslaved gladiators didn't want to be free. One example of this was the notorious gladiator named Flamma.
Over the course of his combat career, he was offered his freedom on four separate occasions, declining to accept the rudis, the wooden sword symbolizing freedom. Incredibly, he fought 34 times, winning 21 contests, and drawing in nine of them. Eventually, he died with great honor at the age of 30 in an arena in Athens, Greece.
Gladiators Didn't Fight As Often As Most Might Think
Even though being a gladiator was a full-time job, that didn't mean that they were jumping into the arena every day. If a gladiator made it out of a fight alive, they would return to the barracks where they would recover and train for their next fight.
According to estimations, based on the number of victories of some of the most renowned gladiators, a typical gladiator would only fight around four or five times a year. Some would also come out of retirement occasionally, for a large sum of money, of course.
Rome's First Christian Emperor Ended The Practice Of Gladiatorial Combat
Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, brought an end to the gladiatorial games in 325. Under his rule, he declared that the violence of the games was unnecessary at a "time of civil and domestic peace."
Nevertheless, some historians argue that another reason for the games coming to an end was that Rome was fighting fewer wars, and therefore had fewer prisoners to force to fight as gladiators. Unfortunately, for those slaves serving as gladiators during the time of Constantine's decree, they remained slaves and were forced to work in the Empire's mines.
