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December 7, 2017

Gladitorial School: Here is your Diploma and Knife

One of the most famous and well known of the ancient Roman games, second only to the chariot races in terms of popularity, were the fights of the Gladiatorial Arena, a combination of blood, steal, and strange looking armor. The tradition of the gladiator fights began in Campania, southern Italy, in 264 BCE, to honor the death of Junius Brutus Pera as part of the funeral celebration.1  The sons of Brutus staged a fight between three pairs of gladiators to honor the loss of their father by the spilling of human blood, and to show his importance to the community with a lavish sacrifice.2 The idea of such a spectacle grew in popularity among the people, especially with the aristocrats that could afford to have such a fight at their own funerals. Over the next few centuries, this spectacle became a munus, or obligation to the dead, at aristocratic funerals, and out of them emerged the Gladiator Schools.

Imagine a prison-like environment full of men in peak physical condition training in various techniques of battle, weaponry, and ways to kill opponents. The person that slept next to you in the cells could well be the very man that would end your life, or take a win away from your record, keeping you a slave before the spectators that watched you fight. To win freedom a gladiator-slave would need twenty-five wins under his name, otherwise his status would never change. There were three ways one might become a gladiator: by being a slave sold to the school or as a punishment to the slave; by being captured by the Roman empire as a prisoner; or by being a convicted criminal. On some occasions, one might sell oneself into slavery to a gladiator school for the potential reward money if one earned freedom through fighting, or if one just loved the feel of danger.3 Along with hand to hand combat training, gladiators would also need to train for fighting on horseback, and learn to fight exotic animals from areas outside of Italy, such as lions, elephants, tigers, crocodiles, bulls, and many other animals the Romans thought would make for good combat entertainment.4

Roman Gladiators | Courtesy of Pinterest

With so many spectacles to see, a trip to the arena was a full-day event, fully free for the public to enjoy involving the entire community. Most often, the entire town population would attend the games, closing most of the city. One of the most famous of the arenas was the Flavian Amphitheater, more commonly known as the Colosseum, built to accommodate fifty thousand sitting spectators with room to stand. The floor of the arena was made of wood, covering a network of animal cages with elevators to raise the animals to floor level.5 During the late Roman Republic and even when it began to fall to the monarchy of the Empire, the games became more of a political strategy for elections and less of a sports tradition being sponsored by the government.6 Being the host paying for the full event was the easiest way for your name to reach the Roman citizens. The more games and events one would host, the more your popularity would grow. The people would vote for someone that had the best intentions for Rome, and who else but the man who paid out of their own pocket for a event of the masses. Come election day your odds would be better to be either a part of or move up on the Senate. To not miss out on the chance of gaining popularity among the public, the editor, or host of the days games, would pay for any expense, including food and drinks. By late first century C.E., military generals, senators, and even emperors spent fortunes subsidizing public festivals and games. Appeasing the masses with entertainment and food would come to be known as the strategy “panem et circenses” or “bread and circus.”7

The day would begin with a hunt or fight between the captured exotic animals and the “hunter” inside the arena. For the animals that did not get killed, they would be trained and do tricks in the arenas.8 Then, when that match had concluded, there would be a type of intermission between the fights around noon, but instead of the crowd leaving for a short break, there would be the public execution of a criminal sentenced to death.9 To keep the events interesting, sometimes the execution would involve a creative death, by having the criminal be forced into the arena and hacked to pieces by the fully armed gladiators, or even crucified. Some would be tied to planks of wood to be thrown to the half-starved animals to be devoured.10 Then the closing events would be the Gladiator fights themselves, where broken men would fight to stay alive.

Thracian Style Gladiator| Courtesy of Pinterest

Beginning life in the gladiator schools is what many would call a version of hell on earth to endure. With the gladiators being made up of mostly slaves, prisoners of war, and criminals condemned to fight in the arena, the physical training was the only way to keep going, sleeping inside cells, living in a prison environment with real no companions, because there was no way of knowing who would be your next opponent. Even for the volunteer gladiators, Roman citizens, who entered for the prize money or wanted the danger in their lives, they became nothing less than slaves to their new master. The volunteer had to freely and willingly take the terrifying oath “sacramentum gladiatorum,” or the Sacraments of the Gladiator.11 With this oath, gladiators swore to endure being burned, bound, beaten, and slain by the sword. Then, one would forswear any desire for retribution for the state one would be in, and finally forswear life itself. Using this oath, one would accept the cruel life of a gladiator, live a life of honor, and to refuse to endure any of the sacraments that would be dishonorable, binding oneself with conviction to a master with what is left of ones honor at stake. One would be a loathsome man without dignity and almost without humanity.12 Being a gladiator, one would be treated however the Lanista, the man that buys and looks after the gladiators, sees fit without any recourse to legal appeal. It was also considered disgraceful for any Roman citizen to debase himself and choose to fight in the arena.13

However, not all Romans share this disdain toward gladiators. If one were successful in the bouts, one could become a crowd favorite, like today’s modern athletes.14 These warriors were also seen as a type of sex symbol, because of their perfect physique, being a perfect physical specimen. Many Roman women would even lust after the gladiators for the very same reasons, which explains why Roman citizens, even those from aristocratic families, chose to join the gladiatorial ranks. Taking more of a philosophical approach for citizens joining the gladiatorial ranks, Roman writers such as Seneca addressed the actual visual spectacle seen by the audience. The witnessing of such bravery while facing death in the arena filled with screaming fans. Even when seen as shameful by the Romans to debase yourself, many citizens would still become gladiators.

When it came to actual combat, the gladiators were no pushovers, although the fighting style was designed to be both deadly and visibly appealing for the fans. There were multiple types and categories of gladiator, but there were four main types that had evolved by the early Empire.15 There were the heavily-armed Samnites, or later to be divided as the Hoplomachus, carrying a spear and a small knife with a round shield, and the Secutors, carrying a gladius and large rectangular shield, both outfitted with helpmates and heavy armor. The second is the Thracian, with less armor and wielding a curved knife, the sica, and a small circular shield, the parma. There were Murmillos, identical to the Secutors except for the fish shaped crest on the helmet. Lastly, there were the Retiarius, who lacked all armor and wore a belt with a loincloth, wielding a trident, a fishing net to snare the opponent, and a knife attached to the belt. When chosen for a fight, the editor would rent the gladiators need from the school in preparation for the event. On the day of the games, the gladiators would enter the amphitheater in a colorful parade, drawing lots to decide the parings. Then an official would inspect that all the weaponry was sound and well sharpened. Finally, all gladiators would raise their weapons to the highest-ranking official in the stadium and recite “Morituri te salutamus,” “We who are about to die solute you!” then the savagery of a no rules fight would begin.16

Examples of the Types of Roman Gladiators | Courtesy of Pinterest

After a savage and bloody battle, many gladiators would have died, and others would surrender, accepting their defeat from the victor. For the ones defeated, they would wait for the editor, or emperor if present, to pass judgment on them, based on how well the gladiator had fought. If the gladiator was to live to fight another day, the editor would point his thumb down, signaling their fate to live. If, however, the editor pointed his thumb to his chest, it symbolized the piercing of a sword through the heart of that gladiator. If a gladiator was able to win back his freedom after twenty-five victories, then for the rest of his life he would be extremely comfortable, with the money given to the newly free man from the Gladiatorial School as reward money. All oaths taken from ones time as a gladiator would be lifted and the Romans citizenship would be returned for those who volunteered. Being once a slave, gladiators would not be allowed to hold any political status or title in the government. Unfortunately for the gladiators loved by the crowd, the school would rig the fights to keep them from leaving the arena. Keeping them trapped as a slave until another gladiator finally ends their life.

  1. World History Encyclopedia, 2011, s.v. “Classical Traditions.”
  2. World History Encyclopedia, 2011, s.v. “Classical Traditions.”
  3. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  4. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  5.  World Eras, 2001, s.v. “Roman Republic Empire, 264 BCE-476 CE,” John T. Kirby.
  6. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  7. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  8. World Eras, 2001, s.v. “Roman Republic Empire, 264 BCE-476 CE,” John T. Kirby.
  9. New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2003, s.v. “Ad Bestias,” by M.R.P. McGuire.
  10. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  11. Carlin A. Barton, “The Scandal of the Arena,” Representations, no. 27 (Summer 1989): 3-6.
  12. Carlin A. Barton, “The Scandal of the Arena,” Representations, no. 27 (Summer 1989): 3-6.
  13. World History Encyclopedia, 2011, s.v. “Classical Traditions.”
  14. World History Encyclopedia, 2011, s.v. “Classical Traditions.”
  15. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.
  16. The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2002, s.v. “Public Games,” by Don Nardo.

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Recent Comments

Natalia Flores

Gladiator fights were once the life line of Ancient Rome, but it is astonishing how brutal and barbaric these fights. It’s exceptionally cruel to both human and animal life and in the end, it was rigged so neither one would ever leave the arena. I don’t know how any human could watch another human die a horrible painful death for amusement. though, I do keep in mind that this is a different time period and a different way of thinking.

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21/01/2018

10:09 am

Tyler Thompson

The Roman Empire had an interesting way of bargaining with their prisoners. These Gladiators were given the option of facing execution, or fighting for your freedom in such a way, that they will most likely not survive. This was not just a way to get rid of prisoners, this was also a form of entertainment that also gave popularity to the Roman officials.

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27/01/2018

10:09 am

Michael Thomas

I found this article interesting because of how the Roman’s found gladiator fights entertaining. Using gladiators to win people over and gain votes seems risky. Roman politicians must have relied on these fights heavily just for the votes. Those politicians did not care how gruesome or bloody the matches would be. The only time they cared about the match was when they would benefit from the win.

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27/01/2018

10:09 am

Joshua Castro

This is an article that keeps you wanting more! There are so many interesting facts that I didn’t know about before. I was unaware that politicians would host the events in order to gain the favor of the people or that the intermission of the event consisted of an execution. It’s crazy to think that so many people were amused by the blood baths in the arena!

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28/01/2018

10:09 am

Johnanthony Hernandez

I remember watching part of the movie Gladiator as a kid and being young at the time thinking, that that seems like the in Rome. Fighting both beast and man, having crowds of people cheering over the entertainment they provided, it seemed to me at the time that it must have been one of the best things imaginable. It wasn’t until recently that I found out that wasn’t the case, and your article not only gave the history that few truly know but the reality that gladiators faced being nothing but glorified slaves.

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28/01/2018

10:09 am

Anais Del Rio

It’s sad how criminals only had one fate which was to ultimately be a gladiator because it’s all they can do. It’s even worse to think about what would happen to the men that were wrongly convicted, they had done nothing and now they had to pay for someone else with their life. They were seen as stepping stones, the people organizing the event used it as a way to get more votes in a political campaign and sadly other gladiators had to use each other to gain freedom.

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28/01/2018

10:09 am

Seth Castillo

For some odd reason, people love to see violence and despair. It is very strange to think that we laugh and enjoy content at the expense of others. Gladiators are prime examples of this human bloodlust. Pitting volunteers and essentially slaves against each other is insane. I guess there just something about humans that contains a lust for others pain.

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28/01/2018

10:09 am

Evian-loren Salgado

In Ancient Rome the Gladiator fights were a very big deal. I like that the author made sure to included lots of detail because it really shows you what the gladiators went through as well as how they lived. The author used many latin phrases which I think added a good touch to the story. I like that the author also talked about how the school never really let the “famous” gladiators go. They found some way to keep them in the school so that the crowds would keeping going to watch.

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28/01/2018

10:09 am

Caroline Bush

Interesting article! I love the way you described the gladiatorial school with enough detail so that the reader knew just how much of a hell it was for the slaves serving. I never really thought about gladiatorial school and really only knew about it from movies. After reading this article though I know how much of a constant struggle to stay alive it was for the slaves and warriors having to fight. Overall I really enjoyed this article and learned a new side about a topic I only vaguely knew about.

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03/02/2018

10:09 am

Erin Vento

It’s really sad that these men were brutalized for the sake of entertainment and winning over the vote of some of the higher ranking people. I never would have thought that there would be so many rules and details concerning gladiators. In movies, it kind of seems romanticized, but the way you wrote about it really shows people how it was a really messed up practice.

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03/02/2018

10:09 am

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