Gladiator Research Paper

The gladiatorial games were an important part of the lives of those in Pompeii. But those in Herculaneum were most likely unable to enjoy the games as home as they did not have a place to hold them. Gladiators were POW’s, freedmen, criminals, slaves and some men who had fallen on hard times who would volunteer.

A gladiators life was far from easy. Most were slaves, prisoners of war, or hardened criminals, therefore they were not free men. Often times they were trained and forced to take part in the events, hoping for their freedom if

Gladiators were mostly unfree individuals either condemned criminals, prisoners of wars who had lost their citizenship rights, although, some of them were volunteers who were mostly freedmen or very low classes of freeborn men who chose to be a slave for monetary rewards or for the fame. Gladiators were brought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat and would endure branding, chains, flogging or death by the sword and subjected to a rigorous training, fed on a high-energy diet, and given expert medical attention. Gladiators were famously popular in ancient from for seven centuries, from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD fairly late in the Public occupied a prominent position in roman society, they would fight in massive

Most of the gladiators were criminals or prisoners of war that were forced to fight in the arena. Although they were considered slaves, they surprisingly had a better standard of living than most lower class Romans. Because they were financial investments, they had access to doctors and medicine, better food, and exercise. As the gladiator became more and more popular, he would attract greater crowds, making him more valuable, which led to getting him a better lifestyle. For this reason, some free citizens, aristocrats, and even emperors would join in hoping to increase their own wealth. Even slaves would train and fight hard because they could purchase their freedom once they accumulated enough wealth.

Gladiators were usually prisoners of war brought from conquered regions, as well as Christians and criminals accused for harness crimes including: thievery, rape, and murder. Gladiators were

The film primarily focus’ on the role of the gladiator in Pompeii and the way they were treated by the higher class. The film Pompeii alters the position of Gladiators, giving the impression that all gladiators were only slaves, however historical sources state that, while slaves, criminals and prisoners of war made up the majority of gladiators, the title of ‘gladiator’ was not restricted to only slaves, but rather other citizens

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.

Roman charioteers and Roman gladiators were at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry during ancient Roman times. They both had large followings, were keys to political power, and were the reasons for architectural masterpieces. Charioteers and gladiators, however, were quite different in many ways. They had differences in backgrounds, in risks of their profession, in their professional careers, and in the various things they can stand for and represent.

Roman Gladiators had many other talents other than fighting too. They were very good at gathering attention from the media. They had to try and make big names for themselves in order to establish a fanbase. They also had to have great work ethic because usually the strongest man won so it was constant training. They had to set their entire lives around gladiator fighting and keep up with their normal lives, although most of them were in jail they still had lives even while living in a cell.

These battles were so gruesome in order to entertain and appease the large audiences. The gladiators went to all costs when it came to the arena battles, and even created their own fighting styles in order to make the battles more interesting. I had no idea that gladiatorial battles were such an art, and that there were so many gladiatorial fighting styles implemented. Gladiators were armed with various weapons and had different fighting techniques. Some gladiators rode into the arena on horseback, known as “equites”, as a scare tactic before he fought his opponent. Others carried large shields that covered their entire bodies for protection, known as “murmillo’s”, while some gladiators carried small shields that covered only their torso so they were better able to move around. 1 The picture below shows some of the other types of gladiators and the armor they wore for battle.

One might think that since they were prisoners they would be treated poorly but that was not the case either. Gladiators from my past knowledge were fed everyday and were paid for battles they one and they could earn their freedom. Most people would believe Hollywood's version of a Gladiator as a brutal contest unruly duels ending in death. But in reality gladiators did not always fight to the death.

a person struggling with the various conflicts and problems in his life. The fame, together with the luxury the gladiators experienced when not training or fighting adds to the general feeling of nobility. I suppose its this outward nobility, together with the objective of the Gladiatorial fights to reduce aggression within the general public, that made the fights seem morally and ethically acceptable to the Roman masses. Anyway, the Gladiator fights would be held immediately after the midday executions; the Romans would at this point be more interested in skill and prize than blood.

In ancient Rome a gladiator is a man or women trained to fight with weapons against other men/women or wild animals in an arena.

Gladiators and actors were legally called infamus and were denied rights as Roman citizens, such as the ability to vote. Despite this, both were admired in Pompeii. One actor, Caius Norbanus Sorex, has two busts in prominent locations in Pompeii, presumably for his contribution to some public project (Beard, 257). Gladiators were less fortunate, but still admired. They were often slaves, or volunteers from destitute backgrounds (Berry, 144). These men were fighting for their freedom, or for a way out of poverty. Even though they were so powerless gladiators , were admired and their results and names were recorded in graffiti throughout the city (Cooley,

Gladiator is in the manner that the main characters became slaves/gladiators and the aspect of how “freedom” is earned. Maximus on the other hand, was a Roman General that refused to serve for the Roman new emperor, Commodus, who had murdered his father, Marcus Aurelius, in order to obtain control of the Roman Empire. The biggest difference between Gladiator and Spartacus is the manner in which their respective freedom is earned. Gladiators freedom is earned thru defeating Commodus, who sentences Maximus to be executed. The story begins after he escapes his captors and rides off to his farm. This is after he discovers that his family has been murdered by said King/Emperor Commodus. Maximus collapses from exhaustion and is then picked up by slave traders and sold to Proximo, thus leading to his voyage of becoming a Gladiator and his fight against the King. Another difference is that Spartacus is pressured into fighting the best gladiator of the Roman army, upon the conclusion of his training however, he is defeated. Afterward he becomes leader of the Army of Slaves and in an effort to gain the slaves freedom back, he leads them to battle. After being captured, Spartacus ultimately has to fight it out with a slave who is also captured and the winner will be crucified. In Gladiator, Gladiators from all over the Roman