You’re a gladiator in Rome in 72BCE. You fight with little to no protection with someone in the same place as you to the death for roman entertainment. “Gladiator games started off as a form of celebration at important funerals. It was believed that the killing of a gladiator would keep away the evil spirits and please the gods.” In the games animals were also brought in to fight. “Dozens of humans and animals faced off against one another in the arena. They were part of an animal hunt called the venation.” You are rarely speared when fighting a murmillo. That same night Spartacus recruits you for his revolting army. Wanting to die in battle instead of for entertainment you agree. You do have some chance; gladiators were some of the strongest warriors. The colossem was built in 70-80 BCE. It has many entrances and exits. When your keeper comes to give you food and train you, you attack and kill him. Now you have to attack. If you attack at night go to pg.3 If you attack in the day go to pg.2 Spartacus leads you and the rest of his army to attack in the middle of the day. The romans saw them and got they’re army to fight. Spartacus was killed immediately and his army was taken back into slavery. No patroins were killed. No slaves revolted after that. You use your months in training and your mastery in your weapon to go out during the night and kill patricians. On the way Spartacus recruits the slaves that the patrions owned to fight in the army. Soon there are over 6000 new recruits. You go on only attacking in the night and only killing patrions. Of Corse the romans never found out about the ambushes until daylight. Once the roman senate found out what that Spartacus an... ... middle of paper ... ...that the revolt because other slaves to revolt. Some even say that that’s why the romans are so mad. Others say they are mad because they saw the army as a threat. Not too far from the end of the road most of your friends are crucified. By this point you beg but you know it’s pointless. Romans showed no mercy for any rebelling slaves. You get crucified anyway, but you never regret fighting for your freedom. Bibliography Dann, Graham M.s. "Slavery Contested Heritage and Thanatourism." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Hoblin, Paul. "Gladiators." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Lewis, John E. "Rome: The Autobiography." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Park, Louise. "Blood in the Arena." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Schiavone, Aldo. "Spartacus." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014
According to page 235 of “Ancient Rome: A New History” the origin of gladiatorial combat comes from funeral games. It was here that “military virtues of society were celebrated” and gladiatorial combat was introduced. Spartacus the movie aims the purpose of gladiatorial fighting towards audience entertainment and revenue generation when in fact, this was not the original purpose for these matches. This puts the glorious idea of a gladiator into context and allows the viewer to understand what their original purpose was. It turns a pointless fight into a meaningful entertainment source with a
When the Romans went to the gladiator fights, they wanted to watch a very exciting and entertaining contest. So, the Romans purposefully set up the gladiator fights to be unfair by making the matchups unbalanced. The gladiator’s living conditions affected the fight. Yet, with all the morals and myths that the Roman government promoted as what was expected of the roman citizens, the brutal battles that were in the coliseum wouldn’t be tolerated, but they were. The unpredictable outcome of these matches were what made these so entertaining.
The school was mainly used to train new gladiator or hold gladiators between there fights. The teachers at the school treated them very strictly. Spartacus gathered about seventy to eighty gladiators to rebel and escape the school. They stole knoves from the kitchen and killed all of the guards and escaped the school. They decided to stay hidden in a crater at Mt. Vesuvius. There he and his friends, Crixus, Castus, Gunnicus, and Oenomaus, were joined by several slaves a...
The citizens of Rome loved to go to these bloody warfares. In the city of Rome, these events were held in the Colosseum. An arena so large that it could hold 50,000 spectators and host fights between men and animals.
Training was hard for these great warriors, they often trained at special gladiator schools, the largest of which was connected to the great Coliseum by underground passages. Here they learned how to fight skillfully with swords, daggers, nets, chains, and an...
Many events took place at the historical Colosseum. Most of the events that were scheduled involved either death and/or destruction. A few of the events were chariot racing, the feeding of Christians to lions, and gladiator fights. At a causality rate nearly 50% died each ‘show’. The chariot racing, which was very popular with the Romans, was held at the Circus Maximus and was seen as a family event. Many people today see Roman entertainment as cruel, but not all forms of entertainment
As the main performers of the most popular entertainment in a war plagued world, gladiators are often perceived to live a very tragic, wasted life- one that is filled with risks and danger at every turn. But even so, it is an opportunity for the people to rise above social barriers and ultimately became superstars. Few emerged glorious, and those who do must face a cruel path in their everyday life. Follow along on the journey of the success and failures of Ancient Roman gladiators, as we trace the beginning of the gruesome sport, the gladiator’s daily life, hardship, as well as the stories of the l...
The book The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss is an in depth look at one of Roman history’s most legendary events, the gladiator revolt led by Spartacus. Spartacus has become a legend, creating a storyline that has inspired many movies and television shows, such as Stanley Kubrick’s epic Spartacus in 1960, starring the legendary Kirk Douglas. Spartacus has inspired a perfect mix of men over time with various backgrounds and beliefs, from Stalin and Marx, to Voltaire, and even to Ronald Reagan. How though, did Spartacus create a massive revolt of slaves that would create a massive problem for the mighty Rome? Strauss attempts to create a chronology of the Spartacus War using his vast knowledge of the Italian landscape, ancient documents, and archaeological evidence, as well as provide the reader with the historical reasons that might have created a perfect combination of causes to create the Spartacus legend.
gather around to watch death and pain in a glorious battle of life and death. Arenas full of blood thirty people ready for a gruesome fight to the dead. Arenas big enough to hold thousands of screaming fans all shouting “death!”, and with a swift blow the crowd cheering. Anything could happen a lion, bear, or tiger attack were all possible in the deadly game played by the best players alive. The only goal of a gladiator was to live one more day. Gladiators were such a big part of Rome from their history to the lifestyle they maintained, they faced gruesome battles for the pure entertainment of others, they endured suffering.
During the middle and late third century Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public. Many politicians held these highly known games to help them sway votes of power and popularity (Meijer 2003, 27). “The arena was the embodiment of the empire.” (Futrell 1997, 209). The contestants, or the gladiators, had more significance of the Roman Empire beyond that as their role of entertainment.
Much like today’s athletes gladiators competed with one another to decide a victor and is a form of entertainment for people spectating. But Gladiators competed much different than professional athletes do today. Gladiators were forced to fight for the entertainment of others and were considered slaves (“ The Roman Gladiator”). Gladiators did not just fight for friendly sport either they had to fight to the death. This made the gladiatorial games so exciting for the people watching. The people loved to watch others fight and the gore that they would see while the gladiators were fighting. It may sound horrible in today’s society but back then it was the most prominent form of entertainment. Different from today’s athletes and entertainers, gladiators were slaves and were told what to do against their will. Much of the gladiators were slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. Gladiatorial games were mostly held by the Roman Republic and forced there enemy’s to fight for their lives in the...
The first known gladiatorial combat in Rome took place at the funeral of a nobleman named Junius Brutus in 264 B.C.2 His sons Marcus and Decimus revived an ancient Etruscan custom of having slaves fight at the funeral of a great leader in the belief that such a sacrifice would please the gods. During the ceremony, three pairs of slaves were forced to fight to the death. In 216 B.C., twenty-two pairs of slaves fought at the funeral of a man named Marcus Lepidus. Sixty pairs of slaves fought when Publicus Licinius died in 183 B.C. These slave fighters were now known as bustiarii, or funeral men.3 By the time of Julius Caesar, any direct association with funerals and religion was gone, and these fighters, now known as gladiators, meaning swordsmen, were a powerful force in Roman politics. He bought the affection of the people with magnificent banquets and spectacles that were open and free to the public. Caesar then estab...
Gladiators were combatants equipped for arena battles. These battles were against other soldiers, conquered enemies, slaves, and criminals. Even wild beasts were added to be part of the bloody spectacle. Gladiators were a source of entertainment for Roman crowds, politicians and nobility at the Coliseum. It was the Roman equivalent to a Packer game at Lambeau field. A few gladiators were volunteers, but most were detested as slaves. Regardless of where they came from, gladiators allowed spectators to see an example of Rome 's military principles and, how to die an honorable death. The origin of gladiator combat is unclear, evidence supports that it became an important attribute of politics
The inaugural games at the Colosseum were mesmerizing and like nothing the people had seen before. Titus had successfully pulled off what he had originally planned but unfortunately he died six months after the inaugural games of a mystery illness. This unfortunate even did not change the fact that he will always be remembered as one of Rome’s greatest emperors in history. The Colosseum and gladiatorial games will always have a special place in history and although Titus was the one who orchestrated the greatest games of all time it was the gladiators who made it happen. These men were not born different but trained hard to earn their freedom and it is that reason that they will be remembered as some of the greatest warriors in history.
...re. Although slave revolts were uncommon in Greece, there were several in Rome. The most historical revolt was led by Spartacus and lasted about two years. This came about because Spartacus and several other gladiators broke out and started fighting the armies that came after them. This led to a more kind way to treat the slaves with the hope that they would not rise up again. In some places a slave could earn their freedom by either purchasing it with the small amount of money that their owners let them make or they could be set free in a masters last will and testament.