A Roman gladiator is an ancient professional warrior who usually specializes in special weapons and armor types. From 15 BC to 44 AD (official competition), they held very popular organized competitions in large-scale special arenas throughout the Roman Empire and held competitions in public.

Because fighting usually leads to death, the life expectancy of gladiators is short. Therefore, although it is a fascinating profession in some aspects, most gladiators are slaves, former slaves or sentenced prisoners. There is no doubt that gladiator glasses are one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the Roman world.

Etruscan origin

The Romans influenced the Etruscans in Italy through their predecessors, in many ways. For example, animal sacrifices are used to predict the future, symbolic fascism is used and gladiatorial games is organized. The Etruscans associated these competitions with death ceremonies, so they had certain religious significance. Although the first privately organized Roman gladiator competition in 264 BC was to commemorate the death of his father, the official competition later gave up this element. However, the vestiges of religious origin still exist in the action of eliminating fallen gladiators. In this case, the waiter will strike the forehead of the injured person. Attendants will wear costumes representing Hermes to escort souls to the underworld or the messenger god of Charun (Etruscan equivalent). The appearance of the Emperor himself, accompanied by priests and virgins of Vesta, also brought some pseudo-religious atmosphere to the competition.

Gladiator competition is a bloody entertainment, and it is actually a matter of life and death.

King of Entertainment

The Roman gladiator game is an opportunity for emperors and wealthy nobles to show their wealth to the people, commemorate military victories, commemorate the visits of important officials, celebrate birthdays or just distract people from political and economic issues at that time. The attraction of the competition to the public is bloody entertainment and the charm from the competition, which is actually a matter of life and death. Very popular events were held in large arenas throughout the Roman Empire, including the Colosseum (or Flavian Colosseum), one of the largest. Thirty, forty or even fifty thousand spectators from all walks of life in Rome flocked to watch the bloody scenes, where they hunted wild and exotic animals, executed prisoners, threw religious martyrs at lions and performed stars. This was the honor and courage of Rome, and gladiators used all their martial arts skills in the killing or being killed. A popular misunderstanding is that gladiators pay tribute to their emperor with this sentence at the beginning of every performance: Ave Accelerator, morituri te salutant! Long live the emperor, our dying people salute you! ), but in fact, this sentence was said by prisoners who will be killed in the simulated naval battle (naumachia), which is also held on special occasions.

Gladiators most often come from a slave or criminal background, and many prisoners are forced to perform on the stage during the war. There are also cases in which bankrupt aristocrats are forced to make a living by swords, such as Semproni uz, a descendant of the powerful Gracci family. It is also worth noting that women were allowed to fight as gladiators before they were banned by Septimius Severus in 2 AD. The whole empire set up a special gladiator school; Rome itself has three such barracks, and Capua is famous for its gladiators. Agents look for potential gladiators in the empire to meet the growing demand and fill the vacancies in training schools, which must have an amazing loss rate of fighters. The conditions in the school are similar to those in other prisons, small cells and everyone's shackles, but the food is better (such as fortified barley) and the trainees get the best medical care; After all, they are an expensive investment.

a thracian gladiator has a curved dagger (SICA) and a very small square or round shield (PARMA).

Armor and weapons

gladiatores derived from the Latin term fighter refer to their main weapon, sword Sect or dagger. However, many other weapons were used in the gladiator competition. Gladiators also wear armor, especially their helmets are exquisite items, decorated with rich decorative patterns and inlaid with ostrich or peacock feathers. Weapons and armor depend on what class the gladiator belongs to. There are four main classes:

Samonet

Thracians

Mirmilo

Retiarius

Samite class is named after the great Samite warrior that Rome fought and defeated in the early days of the Republic of China. Interestingly, at least in the early days, the Romans used gladiator and Samoan as synonyms, which shows that the Etruscans in these games originated from Etruscans. The most heavily armed Samnett has a sword or gun, a large square shield (the shield is on his right (sword), arm and left leg) and protective armor. Thracian gladiators have a curved dagger (sica) and a very small square or round shield (parma). ) Hold in the fist to mitigate the blow. The Myrmillo gladiator is sometimes called the Fish Man because his helmet has a fish-shaped badge. Like the Samoan, he holds a dagger and shield, but only padded armor on his arms and legs. The net fighter doesn't have a helmet or is bigger than padded shoulder armor, etc., and he carries a weighted net. He will try to entangle his opponent by throwing a net and then stab him with his trident.

gladiators fight in a specific combination, usually in order to make a contrast between slower and more armored classes (such as Myrmillo) and faster and less protected gladiators (such as Retiarius). There are many other smaller types of gladiators, and the various combinations and names of weapons and armor have changed over time. For example, when these countries become allies, "Samnite" and "Gaul" become politically incorrect. Other types of fighting include archers, boxers and bestiarii who are fighting animals hunting wild animals.

Winners and losers

Those who lack enthusiasm for fighting are tricked by their manager (La Nista) and his slave team, waving whips or blazing metal bars. There is no doubt that the angry roar from the 4, audience and the ruthless attack of opponents also persuaded many people to fight to the end. There are cases of refusing to fight: perhaps one of the most famous cases is the gladiator competition organized by quintus Aurelius Symmachus C. In 41 AD, the Germanic prisoners who planned to go to war decided to strangle each other in their cells instead of providing a spectacle for the Roman people.

Even if a defeated gladiator is not directly killed, he often pleads for mercy by laying down his weapon and shield and raising a finger. Then his opponent can decide to be lenient, although it is considered a good professional habit to kill your opponent because of the high risk of meeting again in the arena. If the emperor is present, he will make a decision, although the crowd will certainly influence his judgment by waving cloth or gesturing with their hands-thumbs up and Mitt shouting! It means "let him go", thumb down (the back of the police) and Iugula! It means "execute him".

The winners in the competition, especially those who fought behind them for many times, have become the favorites of the crowd. As the surviving graffiti on Roman buildings shows, they are particularly popular with women-the case of having an affair with a noble lady or even eloping is not unknown. The graffiti in Pompeii provides an interesting insight into how the public views the gladiator: Oceanus' the choice of the barmaid' or another one is described as decus puellarum and suspirium puellarum (the joy and sigh of girls) and how many victories some people have won: Petronius Octavius 35 (his last time), Severus 55, and Nascia 6. However, it should be pointed out that the average value is much lower, and even in some competitions, the winner fights with other winners until only one gladiator stands. More material rewards to win the competition include the prestigious palm branch, usually a crown, a silver plate full of bonuses, maybe even freedom after years of victory.

Emperor Commodus (18-192 CE) was enthusiastic and crazy enough to compete with himself in the arena.

famous gladiator

Perhaps the most famous gladiator is Spartacus, who led the uprising of gladiators and slaves in Capua, the main producer of gladiators, in 73 BC. In Thrace, the former Roman soldier was a robber until he was arrested and forced to train as a gladiator. He and seventy comrades escaped from their training school and set up a defensive camp on the slope of Mount Vesuvius. After being besieged, they fled their positions and rampaged through the countryside of Campania, collecting followers while walking and shaping them into an efficient fighting force. On his way north to the Alps, Spartacus showed great military leadership in defeating four Roman armies at least nine times. Although far from being a saint, when a friend died in battle, Spartacus arranged for 3 Roman prisoners to participate in the gladiator competition according to the ancient custom, in memory of his fallen comrades. After two years of resistance, Marcus Ricinius crassus's army finally persecuted and suppressed the rebels in Puglia, southern Italy. As a warning to others, 6, prisoners were crucified on the ancient Yabi Road between Capua and Rome. Another consequence of this disturbing incident is that the number of privately owned gladiators has been strictly controlled since then.

another famous gladiator is actually a layman. Emperor Commodus (reigned from 18 to 192) was keen to compete with himself in the arena. In fact, there were even rumors that he was the illegitimate son of a gladiator. Some people may argue that Commodus is a professional, because he ensured that he got a good salary for his appearance at the Colosseum in Rome. However, in the hundreds of competitions in the arena, Commodus, usually dressed as Mercury, is unlikely to encounter any real danger, and his most frequent participation is as a butcher of wild animals, usually using a bow on a protected platform.

End of performance

The gladiator competition, which was inconsistent with the new Christian ideological empire, finally ended in 44 AD. Five years ago, Emperor Honorius closed the Gladiator School. When a monk from Asia Minor, a Telemarcos, jumped between two gladiators to stop the bloodshed, the last straw of the competition came, and the angry crowd stoned the monk to death. Honorius therefore officially banned gladiatorial competitions, although convicted criminals continued to hunt wild animals for another century or so. There is no doubt that many Romans feel sorry for losing such an important pastime in Roman life, but everything in Rome is coming to an end, because only six years later, the Visigoths led by alaric will rob the eternal city itself.