Contributor: Ryann Maginn. Lesson ID: 12928
What's your favorite sport? Do you like action? Who do you like to cheer on? Ancient sports fans cheered for murderers, and even animals that killed people! Learn about one man who stood against it!
What kind of people were the Roman gladiators? Were they soldiers? Heroes? Criminals? As glorious as movies make them seem?
A gladiator was an armed fighter whose sole purpose was to entertain audiences in ancient Rome.
The fights were first held in the fourth century B.C. and began as a celebration of victories in wars. Many times, the fights the gladiators took part in were very violent. Sometimes they fought other gladiators, and at other times they were up against wild animals!
Roman gladiators were usually criminals or slaves. They fought with deadly weapons, with some fights ending in death. The winners of these fights became crowd favorites. During this time, the audience in the stands cheered enthusiastically for this gruesome sport, just as easily as any audience member at a football or basketball game would do today.
Below is a picture of the Colosseum, where the gladiator battles were held:
Sometimes elephants, lions, alligators, and rhinos were added to the arena and forced to fight against each other, or be killed by hunters. The more unique and exotic the creatures in battle, the more the crowd loved it. Before each fight, the animals were beaten and not given any food. This tactic was a way to make them incredibly angry and irritable when up against the gladiators. Most times, the gladiators won these battles, but when the animals won, people were ecstatic.
These "gladiator games," as they were known, were at their peak during the last days of the Roman Republic — this was a time when the people of the city ran the government. When the Roman Empire took over — when the city was ruled by one emperor — gladiator games declined because more money was going towards war rather than entertainment.
Interested in learning more about gladiators? Borrow the book listed under Suggested Reading in the right-hand sidebar from your local library.
As you discuss these questions with a parent or teacher, continue on to the Got It? section, where you will read a surprising story about one famous gladiator, Spartacus, who stood up for his freedom.
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Suggested Reading
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