Praetorian Guard Analysis

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.

Like anything else, these shows were often times politically based to gain support for an Emperor. Aside from this they made for great entertainment to divert ones thoughts away from everyday troubles. What a better way than to see masses of people brutally slaughtered. In reality and the movie alike, the gladiators wore crude armor, not of military status to depict the difference in class. Nonetheless they were equipped with the armor and

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

Of the many monumental constructions that the Romans built, one of the most well known is the Coliseum, where brave Gladiators would fight dangerous animals and even each other to entertain the people of Rome. When people see the great arena, it is easy for them to forget the countless men, women, and animals that died fighting each other for amusement. Most people don’t know what it took for them to fight and either win or die, or how many hours they must have spent training to have a chance at defeating their opponents. Who were these gladiators?

Gladiators were a huge part of the Roman society and a large part of Roman culture. The people of Rome loved gladiator battles. The Roman coliseum was built in order to fit the standards of a bloody, brutal battle while also being able to keep thousands of Roman citizens comfortable and entertained.

17 out of 19 emperors died of in battle, or being assassinated. If one emperor died, another emperor would be elected. Going back to war outbreaks, the war was clearly so disastrous, that the emperor would also even had to fight as well. 13 out of 17 were assassinated, 4 out of 17 were killed in battle. The roman army is supposed to protect Rome, and the people living in Rome. But with this much changes in leadership obviously this explains how negligent and lazy the roman army was. The roman army left the military in danger, the emperor in danger, and also the citizens of Rome in

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 are athletes of a more violent time period. Who knows, maybe there is no such thing as professional sports without them. They showed how hard training could make a great job for a lot of people. In conclusion, gladiators and athletes resemble each other very

Another official was the praetor (plural praetors or praetores). These officers were responsible for judicial cases of equity, and they were also responsible for the production and upkeep of the public games. When the consuls were absent, praetors were to exercise authority in the government. Before 337 B.C., the position was limited to the patricians of Rome, but after then, it was open to plebeians. Originally, there was a single praetor in charge of matters of equity. Then a second

Two of the more memorable emperors to the Romans were Augustus Caesar (27 BC to 14 AD), and Caligula (37 AD to 41 AD). Although only having ruled the empire by a separation of 23 years and belonging to the same family (through marriage and adoption), their empires couldn’t have been more different. It is possible to determine the impact of an emperor’s rule based on their many vices and virtues, as well as the choices that they make in relation to them. The author Suetonius expressed in his writings the many vices and virtues that put into perspective the kind of leaders that these emperors appeared as to their polis. As we explore the concept of vices and virtues, as well as what kind of ideals these two rulers represented, we will begin to be presented with a clearer picture of what an ideal emperor would have looked like. A vice can be described as an immoral or wicked behavior; while a virtue can be described as a behavior showing high moral standards. Suetonius and the Roman people had a high interpretation of the concept of virtue and vice, as well as their role in the ruler’s life.

The Praetorian Guard corrupt or saviors? The Praetorian Guard, or Cohors Praetoria was enlisted from some veteran Legionaries, s even like all soldiers the Praetorian Guard had to go training. But before they became Legionaries they were civilians in their early 20s . Soldiers were first taught how to march, as it was one of great importance to the Roman Army to be able to march at speed. Any army would be split up due to each soldier marching at their own speed, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

Marcus anxiously awaited his turn to fight. The crowd was cheering and roaring as two slaves fought each other in the arena. Even though this was just a prelude to the main event the crowd was enthralled the action. He watched on nervously as they slashed and stabbed at each other. They weren 't inflicting serious damage on each other because they were both fast and wary of the other 's attacks. There were no major wounds inflicted yet but after a few minutes of dancing around each other one of them managed to just catch the other 's leg and they fell down into the sand. The soon to be champion stood above him, sword pointing at their neck. He looked up to the crowd; awaiting their verdict. At this point it was the Emperor and the crowd 's decision whether they survived or not. The crowd shouted to have him killed, pointing their thumbs down as the signal for death. With one quick stab, it was over. Some of the guards walked over to drag the dead body off as the champion walked around the arena basking in the crowd 's cheers. There were tens of thousands of people in the crowd excited for the upcoming fight. The Emperor was one of them. He was sitting in a much less crowded area; surrounded by his elite praetorian guard and his servants. He was wearing his most lavish toga and was drinking some fine Italian wine. The fights in the arena were a fortnightly event but it was rare for the Emperor to turn up to view one.

Also, Augustus recruited soldiers from the Roman provinces. These auxiliary troops were granted Roman citizenship upon completion of military service, and they became important agents of Romanization because the provinces now had a share in the defense of the Empire. In addition, Augustus raised a new military force, the 9,000-strong Praetorian Guard, to act as personal bodyguards of the Emperor and to specifically protect the city of Rome from all enemies, foreign or domestic.

However, before he did, the infamous Emperor set out to kill all his political and military opposers. Generals such as Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian were forced to flee Rome. Nero’s death plunged Rome into a chaotic and historically bloody civil war, parties vying for power battled in the city streets of Rome. Servius Galba, the Imperator in charge of the Upper German Army, decided to storm Rome, not knowing that Nero was dead and no longer in power. The Praetorian Guards were not only a military powerhouse but the personal bodyguards of the Emperors and the only military legions stationed throughout mainland Italy. They had more than enough resources to wage war against other Roman legions. Galba had promised to reward the Praetorian Guard who deserted Nero and promised to serve him in order to gain their full power. Dr. Sandra Ottley writes that “it was the support that Galba received from the Praetorian Prefect...and the Praetorian Guard that helped ensure his eventual success.” It was then that the Senate named him Emperor. It is completely possible that even then, the Senate was being controlled by the Praetorian Guard. Years

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