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. .