Entertainment in Ancient Rome
Gladiators have been apart of Ancient Rome and its traditions for thousands of years. People all around Rome would come to see spectacles also including animals form exotic lands fight, and naval reenactments. Roman Holidays going back to the 2nd century featured gladiators fight; it was usually put on by the state for the people's (and the emperors) entertainment. The fights had a religious component to them, many of the deaths were scarifies for the gods or also a show of worship. The Roman Gladiators originated not from Rome but from the Etruscans. The Etruscans would usually put on a show when a king of war or a leader died. The Romans picked up this tradition and modified to their own. They made the fights more compatible for huge masses (and their entertainment), and they also made it possible to be able to continue fights through the years. Many of these adjustments were adding some drama into it and training the gladiators to fight and give on a show. But as the Etruscans did the Romans held a funeral service for the dead gladiators. Through the times gladiator shows were constantly trying to be halted by some parts of government. During the rise of the senate they limited it to two shows a year. But the people got around mostly by the help of emperors. During Augustus' reign though he only held 8 gladiator shows; he reigned for 60 plus years so you do the math.
The gladiators would be trained to fight since they were very young. They would start with wooden swords and mannequins and work their way up. At the age of about 15 the gladiators would start to fight real people with wooden swords, and after they master that the practice fight with real swords. After many years of practice they are ready for the games. The life of a gladiator was like the life of a person in the circus, although they don't travel. They wouldn't be paid but they would have room and board, paid by the state. After a great gladiator is done, he may have been killed or released, there would be a ceremony held for them by the people. Gladiators became an icon for Rome because of it's uniqueness and the tradition it gave Rome. With out the Gladiators the life style would have been very different for the Roman people, and Rome could have been very different today.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sarah Ritter
Mrs. Tyma/Mr. Dave
Daily Life Essay
2.07.10
Gladiators in Ancient Rome
During the Etruscan rule of Rome, one of the most grueling sports ever was created. The sport was a fight to the death between two men, or gladiators as they were called. In the beginning, Gladiators were a type of religious ceremony. Every time a military or state leader died, two men were chosen to fight to the death in the leaders honor. This remained even after the end of the Etruscan rule. During the Roman Empire, the state senate was allowed two shows per year, but the Emperor did not have a limit. This does not mean, however, that they put on thousands of fights. Augustus, for example, only threw together 8 fights in over 60 years of ruling. It was not until Julius Caesar came into power that the Gladiators became a form of entertainment. Then gladiators “performed” on holidays.
After a gladiator was chosen they were sent to Gladiator school. Besides gladiators in training, their were other people staying at the school. Weapon makers and doctors were there to help the trainees. Guards hired to keep the slaves and prisoners from escaping also stayed in the school. There was also the trainer, who had the most important job. Almost all of the gladiators were men, but there are a few cases of women. Also, gladiators were almost always slaves. Slaves were chosen if they committed a crime, such as stealing from a master, or if it was decided they would be a good fighter. In the most rare of occasions a free man would volunteer to become a gladiator. He volunteered for the fame and glory that came with winning a mach. In school, gladiators were trained with wooden weapons first. They would then go on to more serious training until they were ready to fight. As a gladiator, you were either covered in armor so you were protected (defensive) or you were quick on your feet and had no armor (offensive). This depended on your strengths and weaknesses. If you were a gladiator you remained in school until the day of the fight. You even ate dinner with your opponent the night before the fight. When the sun rose on the day of the festival it was time to fight for your life, literally.
Citation: Aldrete, Gregory S. "Roman City: Gladiators" from Daily Life In The Roman City. Daily Life Online.Greenwood Publishing Group..
Mrs. Tyma/Mr. Dave
Daily Life Essay
2.07.10
Gladiators in Ancient Rome
During the Etruscan rule of Rome, one of the most grueling sports ever was created. The sport was a fight to the death between two men, or gladiators as they were called. In the beginning, Gladiators were a type of religious ceremony. Every time a military or state leader died, two men were chosen to fight to the death in the leaders honor. This remained even after the end of the Etruscan rule. During the Roman Empire, the state senate was allowed two shows per year, but the Emperor did not have a limit. This does not mean, however, that they put on thousands of fights. Augustus, for example, only threw together 8 fights in over 60 years of ruling. It was not until Julius Caesar came into power that the Gladiators became a form of entertainment. Then gladiators “performed” on holidays.
After a gladiator was chosen they were sent to Gladiator school. Besides gladiators in training, their were other people staying at the school. Weapon makers and doctors were there to help the trainees. Guards hired to keep the slaves and prisoners from escaping also stayed in the school. There was also the trainer, who had the most important job. Almost all of the gladiators were men, but there are a few cases of women. Also, gladiators were almost always slaves. Slaves were chosen if they committed a crime, such as stealing from a master, or if it was decided they would be a good fighter. In the most rare of occasions a free man would volunteer to become a gladiator. He volunteered for the fame and glory that came with winning a mach. In school, gladiators were trained with wooden weapons first. They would then go on to more serious training until they were ready to fight. As a gladiator, you were either covered in armor so you were protected (defensive) or you were quick on your feet and had no armor (offensive). This depended on your strengths and weaknesses. If you were a gladiator you remained in school until the day of the fight. You even ate dinner with your opponent the night before the fight. When the sun rose on the day of the festival it was time to fight for your life, literally.
Citation: Aldrete, Gregory S. "Roman City: Gladiators" from Daily Life In The Roman City. Daily Life Online.Greenwood Publishing Group.
Sarah Ritter
Sarah Ritter
Mrs. Tyma/Mr. Dave
Daily Life Essay
2.07.10
Gladiators in Ancient Rome
During the Etruscan rule of Rome, one of the most grueling sports ever was created. The sport was a fight to the death between two men, or gladiators as they were called. In the beginning, Gladiators were a type of religious ceremony. Every time a military or state leader died, two men were chosen to fight to the death in the leaders honor. This remained even after the end of the Etruscan rule. During the Roman Empire, the state senate was allowed two shows per year, but the Emperor did not have a limit. This does not mean, however, that they put on thousands of fights. Augustus, for example, only threw together 8 fights in over 60 years of ruling. It was not until Julius Caesar came into power that the Gladiators became a form of entertainment. Then gladiators “performed” on holidays.
After a gladiator was chosen they were sent to Gladiator school. Besides gladiators in training, their were other people staying at the school. Weapon makers and doctors were there to help the trainees. Guards hired to keep the slaves and prisoners from escaping also stayed in the school. There was also the trainer, who had the most important job. Almost all of the gladiators were men, but there are a few cases of women. Also, gladiators were almost always slaves. Slaves were chosen if they committed a crime, such as stealing from a master, or if it was decided they would be a good fighter. In the most rare of occasions a free man would volunteer to become a gladiator. He volunteered for the fame and glory that came with winning a mach. In school, gladiators were trained with wooden weapons first. They would then go on to more serious training until they were ready to fight. As a gladiator, you were either covered in armor so you were protected (defensive) or you were quick on your feet and had no armor (offensive). This depended on your strengths and weaknesses. If you were a gladiator you remained in school until the day of the fight. You even ate dinner with your opponent the night before the fight. When the sun rose on the day of the festival it was time to fight for your life, literally.
Citation: Aldrete, Gregory S. "Roman City: Gladiators" from Daily Life In The Roman City. Daily Life Online.Greenwood Publishing Group..
Mrs. Tyma/Mr. Dave
Daily Life Essay
2.07.10
Gladiators in Ancient Rome
During the Etruscan rule of Rome, one of the most grueling sports ever was created. The sport was a fight to the death between two men, or gladiators as they were called. In the beginning, Gladiators were a type of religious ceremony. Every time a military or state leader died, two men were chosen to fight to the death in the leaders honor. This remained even after the end of the Etruscan rule. During the Roman Empire, the state senate was allowed two shows per year, but the Emperor did not have a limit. This does not mean, however, that they put on thousands of fights. Augustus, for example, only threw together 8 fights in over 60 years of ruling. It was not until Julius Caesar came into power that the Gladiators became a form of entertainment. Then gladiators “performed” on holidays.
After a gladiator was chosen they were sent to Gladiator school. Besides gladiators in training, their were other people staying at the school. Weapon makers and doctors were there to help the trainees. Guards hired to keep the slaves and prisoners from escaping also stayed in the school. There was also the trainer, who had the most important job. Almost all of the gladiators were men, but there are a few cases of women. Also, gladiators were almost always slaves. Slaves were chosen if they committed a crime, such as stealing from a master, or if it was decided they would be a good fighter. In the most rare of occasions a free man would volunteer to become a gladiator. He volunteered for the fame and glory that came with winning a mach. In school, gladiators were trained with wooden weapons first. They would then go on to more serious training until they were ready to fight. As a gladiator, you were either covered in armor so you were protected (defensive) or you were quick on your feet and had no armor (offensive). This depended on your strengths and weaknesses. If you were a gladiator you remained in school until the day of the fight. You even ate dinner with your opponent the night before the fight. When the sun rose on the day of the festival it was time to fight for your life, literally.
Citation: Aldrete, Gregory S. "Roman City: Gladiators" from Daily Life In The Roman City. Daily Life Online.Greenwood Publishing Group.
Jordan Reichlin
humanities
Mr.Whitson
7/3/10
Daily Life In The Roman City
Gregory S. Aldrete
Gladiatorial fights were not always in Rome. They most likely started from the people before them in that part of Italy, or the Etruscans. When they first started they were focused on a small scale mostly at funerals. But when Julius Caesar was in command he started to make them as a form of entertainment also. While trying to become more popular and several decades after his fathers death he had a enormous gladiatorial fight featuring over six-hundred gladiators. This actually did get him more popular respect since he provided entertainment and said they were for his father. The Roman senate could also do gladiator fights but they were only allowed to sponsor two a year though the emperor could do as many as he wanted to. Before fights the gladiators would eat dinner together. There were several famous incidents in Roman history when their were mass suicides because they were captured soldiers and did not want to fight their former comrades. The next morning they would all parade around with the sponsor at its head. Before the fight but after the parade they would also bring in criminals that had done some crime thats punishment was death. Right before the fight they would have their throats cut, spectators could choose wether or not they wished to see this or eat lunch. “Once at some games at which he was presiding, the emperor Caligula became bored because there were no criminals to be executed during the intermission. His solution was to order his guards to throw an entire section of the crowd into the arena to be eaten by animals.” Quote. At one of the largest games of all time in Rome an emperor had a 10,000 gladiators fight in about one-hundred twenty days.
Too become a gladiator was fairly easy. While woman gladiators were rare you could become one by choice. The other types of gladiators were either slaves/war prisoners or the occasional criminal. Before fighting you trained for many years. He went to a special school were they trained for many years. When he became reasonable at fighting styles the lanista or trainer would evaluate them and assign them a special way to fight. This was assigned by their strengths, weakness’s, their choice of weapons, and their style of fighting. There was not a certain time when they were supposed to fight. When someone wished to put on a show they would pay on of the schools for a certain amount of gladiators, the price depended on wether they were veterans or new.
Gladiator fights were not meant to be unfair usually. But what usually happened was a fight between a lightly armored man vs a heavily armored one. Two men with different equipment fighting each other. There were many different ways a gladiator could fight. He could be a retiarius or a man with no armor and a trident and weighted net. Another could be a Thracian who would wear little armor but had a small shield and sword who would try to tire their enemy out and find weak links in their opponents armor. Finally when they started to fight with no time limit or rules. When a gladiator was wounded the crowd would shout out. The gladiator was then obliged to ask for mercy by dropping his shield and raising a certain finger. The crowd then could scream out or signal using their thumbs wether to spare or kill them. If the crowd decided that he deserved to die the gladiator would stab him in the throat, though when he lived he would drop his weapon. It seems that some games the crowd was inclined to be merciful to the loser and others they would scream for their deaths. The record is supposedly eighty eight fights which is amazing since that meant that either they were a amazing fighter and lucky.
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