Gladiator Essay

Primary sources are essential to understanding historical time periods because they give a give a glimpse into what life or an event was like in the time that the source was created. They can help to contextualize what was going on and clarify initial understandings of the time period. This primary source, is a poem written by Martial about Gladiator fights in Ancient Rome in 103 CE. It describes Carpophorus who specialized in fighting against animals, and Priscus and Verus, two equally matches Gladiators. The document helps understand the circumstances in Rome at that time.

An individual on average would fight about three times a year, and for the rest of the time travel with the troop. The troops swore an oath to their master, and traveled from city to city looking for work (Roman Gladiator). The social class of the Gladiators was rather ironic in itself. On one hand they were considered slaves, that's the lowest class in a social structure, but on the other hand, some gained popularity and were looked upon as great warriors and heroes. Some rose to celebrity status in a short time as in the movie when Maximus became a hero to the public eye, worthy of praise of greater importance than even the king himself. In the movie this was a direct result in the downfall of Commodus, but this isn't factual, as Maximus is a fictional character. It just demonstrates the influence the Gladiators had on the public eye, he was the ‘Rockstar of the Roman Empire'.

He emphasizes that they are met at “a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live” to show his compassion to those who lost their loved ones as well as to induce empathy among those who did not. He then refers to the men who lost their lives fighting for the belief that all men are created equal and that their sacrifices should not be in vain. President Lincoln then states: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” That sentence expresses compassion to the families of those who died and gives them comfort as the actions of the world will never forget what the brave men did. On the other hand, that statement also conveys the message that actions speak louder than words as the world will not remember what is said, but what is done. The purpose of that message is to inspire the audience to take action in ending the

Maximus becomes enslaved in a foreign land and is forced to fight for his life as a gladiator. Maximus’ fame as a gladiator grew within Rome as his skill at combat became apparent. Commodus fears that Maximus will turn the Roman people against him and return rule of Rome to the Senate.

This is actually factual as for gladiators were actually trained under their managers, tested and marked for purchases. The purposes of a gladiator were not to fight in wars or battles but to battle against each other, animals and beasts solely for public entertainment in the ancient Rome. The portrayal of gladiators’ status in the Roman society as well as their roles for bloody thirsty and violent entertainment in the film is displayed true to the ancient Rome.

When most people think of roman gladiators they think of two men inside some kind of an arena fighting to the death with weapons and armor. Yes the roman gladiators were men who fought with weapons but there is so much more to the history of the roman gladiators that a lot of people don’t know. The Roman gladiatorial fights weren’t just fights people could watch but they were a major significance to the way the romans themselves ordered their lives. Being a part of the romans meant attending these games. The roman gladiator’s fights were one of the most popular events that took place during the ancient roman world. There is so much history when it comes to roman gladiators which is why they were so popular and entertaining to watch. To really understand why the gladiators and their

With Spartacus’ name growing among the city it caused him to have enemies because he was being called the greatest gladiator of Rome. The former gladiator champion Crixus of Gaul was wanting his title back from Spartacus so he was training very hard to get back his crown from him. While Crixus and others fighting and training hard to get to where Spartacus is. Meanwhile Spartacus is looking at the bigger picture. He is starting to see how barbaric and cruel being a gladiator is and he really doesn 't want to do it anymore. Seeing this, Spartacus is trying to get the point across to the other gladiators and telling them that this is wrong and they are going to have to take a stand. The other gladiators are not hearing him right away because the Roman Empire has them brainwashed. The Romans tell the gladiators that it is a honor dying for their country, but really they are not. They are really dying for the entertainment of the people of Rome. With time Spartacus got the point across to some of the fighter but, he had trouble with some of them such as Crixus and other head gladiator Gannicus. This is because they refused to fight

Glory is a historical movie of 1989 which includes the battle of Antietam and the story of a injured Captain who is sent to his home for recovery. The movie is a narrated or shown through the eyes of a Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, a colonel commanding the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The movie is about the first trop of soldiers which includes the black people, who were first free man or run out slaves. It is about the journey of a white colonel who had to lead the infantry with black soldiers and the internal conflict within them.

The film, Glory is shown in the point of view of Colonel Shaw, a white officer in the Civil War and his enlistment of black soldiers in the 54th colored regiment. This film shows accurate historical facts of several memorable battles the 54th coloured regiment had fought on for the Union army. In the film, one of the most favorable characters would be Sergeant Major Rawlins. Rawlins was at first, one of the enlistment soldiers during the first few months of his enlistment. Rawlins seems to be one of the most admirable characters due to his cool and calming nature rather than the other rambunctious, rebellious natures of other soldiers such as a black soldier named Trip.

In ancient rome, games or ludi were a part of Roman culture and society where the roman people would attend events such as Chariot races and Gladiator fights in their freetime. Ludi were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman People. The arena/colosseum hosted the Gladiator fights where slaves fought against each other to the death using weapons until a winner was declared by the Emperor or the people. Many different types of Gladiators fought against each other.

The soldier’s lives should be remembered but not their deaths. The speech reminds Athenians what their ancestors have died for and mournful citizens should be proud they died defending the freedom of their country Athens. The oration also reminds Athenians of their greatness because of the fact that Athenian warriors have more to fight for. Athenian warriors are fighting not only for their country but also for their family, friends and other communities in the city. These warriors have more to lose because they are fighting for everyone in the city. During this time possessions were incredibly significant. Wars were usually about gaining land and having as much land as possible. Soldiers were not afraid of dying during combat and chose the most “honorable” course of action by fighting boldly and courageously. In this way, Athens was able to accomplish an enormous army and standard of living, without the harsh everyday training found in city-states.

Gladiatorial games were crazy events to watch, always keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Sometimes, people volunteered to become gladiators but often times they were forced to. Gladiators fought animals, and often times, gladiatorial battles ended in death. To start off in explaining the life of a Roman gladiator, you need to know what a gladiatorial battle was, and what their purpose was.

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Introduced in around 250BC, gladiators were well-trained individuals who fought against each other to entertain the civilians of Rome. The gladiators fought in the Colosseum, which had a height of about 160 feet and capacity of up to 50,000 people. The Colosseum was also designed to be able to flood and hold ships. The term gladiator comes from the Latin word: "gladius" meaning sword. The profession of being a fighter brought great fame to the individual. The theme of death brought people together to see many young men die in battle. The crowd loved vicious shows that were gory and gruesome. Many gladiators who fought in the Colosseum went on to become tremendous war heroes, due to the intense training provided by the emperor. Gladiators always wore clothing that resembled other nations that the Roman army seized. They were also given unorthodox weapons to fight with and their battles usually illustrated famous ones fought by the Roman army. Sometimes, the ‘damnati ad mortem’, individuals who committed ruthless crimes, went into the arena without a weapon. Gladiators were mostly captives of war or slaves of the rich. Some people saw the fighting as a hobby and spent much time and money picking and choosing from the best of the gladiators. A fanatic of fighting was called a "lanista", or an owner of gladiators. Keeping these gladiators in good health became very expensive over time. Different gladiators were allowed to use different weapons based on their past life. For

In the movie Gladiator, Russell Crowe plays a battle hardened Roman General who, through a series of unfortunate events, becomes a gladiator. He starts out on the front lines of a battle against barbarians. The war against them has been going on for some time however this is the final battle that will end the war. The battle rages and the Romans come out victorious. The Caesar then emerges and praises Maximus (Russell Crowe) for his leadership. The Caesar then asks him if he will become Caesar after his death because his son Commodus is not fit to rule. Commodus hates his father’s decision and kills him so his wish will die with him. Commodus then orders Maximus to be killed, he escapes and rides as fast as he can back home but is too late. He comes home to find his wife and son burned alive. He is then captured and sold into slavery where he becomes a gladiator and moves up in the ranks as a skilled fighter. He makes friends with a black slave and they both move together up to larger arenas. He makes it to the Coliseum where he reveals himself to Commodus declaring he will have his vengence. Commodus accepts Maximus’ challenge after delivering a fatal wound to his back. He fights Commodus despite the injury and kills him but then dies himself.