The Life of a Gladiator

1998 Words4 Pages

The life of a gladiator could be a grueling life unless you were the best and never lost. Gladiators fought in events known as gladiatorial games. The first gladiatorial games were recorded in 310 BCE. The first Gladiatorial games were not held in the huge coliseums we see today. Instead they were most likely held to entertain a powerful person or ruler. Gladiatorial combat originated as a religious event to honor the dead, victory of an important battle, a sacrifice to the gods, or to honor the death of someone in a high standing position. The first Roman Gladiatorial games were held in 246 BCE to honor Marcus and Decimus Brutus. ("Life of a Gladiator") These games started an era of gladiatorial events that would last for nearly a century to come. Much like today’s athletes gladiators competed with one another to decide a victor and is a form of entertainment for people spectating. But Gladiators competed much different than professional athletes do today. Gladiators were forced to fight for the entertainment of others and were considered slaves (“ The Roman Gladiator”). Gladiators did not just fight for friendly sport either they had to fight to the death. This made the gladiatorial games so exciting for the people watching. The people loved to watch others fight and the gore that they would see while the gladiators were fighting. It may sound horrible in today’s society but back then it was the most prominent form of entertainment. Different from today’s athletes and entertainers, gladiators were slaves and were told what to do against their will. Much of the gladiators were slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. Gladiatorial games were mostly held by the Roman Republic and forced there enemy’s to fight for their lives in the... ... middle of paper ... ...re. Tourism is the most profitable industry in Europe and gladiators grab a tourist attention and bring them to Europe (“The Roman Gladiator”). Some businesses have reenactments to give tourist a taste of what it was like to watch gladiators compete. There are several museums dedicated to the history of gladiators how they affect the modern world today. Gladiators lived a grueling life and were known for their ability to fight in battle. Gladiators were the ancient idolized popstars we see today. The Life a gladiator was a hard one but if a gladiator was successful in the arena he could live a peaceful life as a free man. Works Cited "Gladiators." Educational Technology Clearinghouse. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. "Life of a Gladiator." Life of a Gladiator. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. "The Roman Gladiator." The Roman Gladiator. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Gladitorial Combat in Ancient Rome

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    The essence of the bloodthirsty entertainment was in the form of the gladiator. The word gladiator comes from the Latin for swordsman, from gladius or sword. The first gladiators were part of a sacrificial rite adopted from the Etruscans in 264, BC, nearly 500 years after the founding of Rome (Johnston 238). The sons of Junius Brutus first displayed gladiatorial combat when they honored their father at his funeral by matching three pairs of gladiators. Gladiatorial combat was originally part of a religious ceremony that was intended to insure that the dead would be accompanied to the "next world" by armed attendants and that the spirits of the dead would be appeased with his offering of blood (Johnston 286). Gladiators were generally condemned criminals, prisoners of war or slaves bought for this purpose. By the end o...

    Read More

  • Ridley Scott's Persuasion that Romans are Not Invaders in Film Gladiator

    2174 Words  | 5 Pages

    Then again if the viewers weren't aware of this they have cunningly been conned into believing the Romans are truly heroes. Throughout the film Ridley Scott uses narrative and quality screenplay and his unique directing techniques to manipulate the audience into believing the Romans are the protagonist and the Germanians antagonists. Evidently from the beginning credits Ridley Scott is deceiving the audience into a subjective viewpoint where the Romans are in favour. Gladiator is set in the epoch of the Roman Empire's greatest hour. Th...

    Read More

  • Maximus' Quest For Freedom

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scott’s film, Gladiator, contains an inherent meaning or theme, not connected to any other films or literature. Scott’s film explains everything that the viewer needs, within the movie itself. This allows the viewer to watch and understand the film with no extra or background information. Although background information, helps the viewer understand the circumstances in the film, it is not needed to understand the meaning or theme. Scott’s film, portrays a theme of the greatness of man, and freedom. Forced into slavery, as a gladiator, maximus, must fight for not only his life but his beliefs. Once a great hero, Maximus, must fight and kill, to rise once again, and enact his revenge. Maximus’ character reveals this heroic nature, through his actions, and thoughts. The viewer sees and understands this, without the need of background information. ...

    Read More

  • Gladiators Stereotypes

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    Along with movie stars and musicians, athletes are arguably the most famous people to walk the planet. Most people think that athletes have become idols just recently but this is not the case. The first famed athletes can be traced back to Rome, these athletes being the gladiators. Now by watching movies or reading stories about gladiators it is easy to fall to the stereotype that pits them as bloodthirsty humans who kill for fun. This belief is mostly false and it is easy to forget where the gladiators came from. Most of them were forced to fight and did not do it for fun. The gladiators trained hard in order to perform well in hopes to finally win their freedom after a successful career. The gladiator games are misunderstood so it is now time to learn the truth about the famed gladiators.

    Read More

  • The Roman games

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gladiator fights were first introduced to Rome in 264 BC, when the sons of Junius Brutus paid honor to their father's funeral by showing three pairs of gladiators fight. This ritual caught on and was performed to honor significant men. As the years passed, the ceremonies became more promoted and emperors began to present the games to symbolize their power.

    Read More

  • Roman Gladiators

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 they were to conquer their grim fate and survived for a few years (wik). This was depicted in the most recent movie GLADIATOR. In this film Russel Crowe ‘Maximus' starts out as an army general under Marcus Aurelius, until Commudus murders his own father out of spite for his fathers loyalty to Maximus and not him. He then inherits the title of king, and condemns Maximus to a gruesome fate as a slave/gladiator. Though this doesn't sound like the ideal life, to some at the time is was an appealing, so much so that some free men degraded themselves so they could battle in the games. Was it for basic living? Possibly but more than likely it was for the Fame and Prestige of a Gladiator. These free men were known as Professional gladiators.

    Read More

  • Roman Entertainment

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    battles; so many criminals were sent to the gladiatorial schools. Since the criminals were getting

    Read More

  • What Are The Benefits Of Wrestling Persuasive Essay

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the Olympic Games first began in 776 B.C. in Athens, Greece, wrestling was the premiere event. It was considered the ultimate test of discipline and strength, in which the world would discover who the greatest warrior is. Wrestling exemplifies the motto of the Olympic Games: Citius, Altius, Fortius. Which means faster, higher, stronger.

    Read More

  • The Spartacus War

    1783 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first chapter of Strauss’ work, titled “The Gladiator”, explores both Spartacus’ background as a gladiator and Rome’s fascination with the sport. Strauss outlines how a gladiator match worked in Rome, usually in carefully chosen pairs starting with a practice match with wooden weapons followed by the real officiated match that was generally to the death unless the crowd decided that the wounded deserved to live. The attention is then turned to where the Spartacus legend begins, Capua. Strauss gives a sweeping view of Capua’s history in the Roman Empire, from being punished for allying itself with Hannibal to returning to some prominence as a slave center, in particular for gladiators. Gladiators were usually slaves, and much like Spartacus, were foreign. Spartacus was a Thracian, feared by Romans for their fierceness on hors...

    Read More

  • The Importance of Gladiator Games

    1758 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is said that the Romans were known for their honor and glory as a reflection of the society they lived in. This may perhaps explain why the gladiator games were popular to the citizens, because the Romans enjoyed observing these characteristics throughout the battles. Most of the time the contestants were slaves, these individuals were bought and traded at the coliseum with the intentions of battling in these games until their death. Soldiers that were captured at the end of a battle were chained to one another as they marched hundreds of miles back to Rome.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • How Does the Circus Maximus Reflect the Values of Ancient Rome?

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Circus Maximus has a lot of history due to all of the events that had happened over the years of the Circus Maximus, the concept of chariots speeding around a track to see which horse would come in first. A chariot was a two wheeled, horse drawn vehicle. It was invented in the west in about 2,000 BC. The Circus Maximus started in approximately 50 BC. The Circus Maximus was first used for public games and entertainment by the Etruscan king of Rome. He built the Circus Maximus and made it out of complete wood. It measured 621 meters in length and 150 meters in width. It was capable of holding about 270,000 spectators to watch the races ("Circus Maximus princeton.edu") In 81 AD, Emperor Domitian connected his new palace on the Palatine to the Circus Maximus so he could have an easier view of the races. This happened to be a large action because they had to change around the whole racing course to fit in his window where he could watch. In 64 BC, they had a fire started from ...

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Gladiator

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of Gladiator takes place in Ancient Rome and contains intense action, great acting, and fantastic storytelling. Although most of this action drama is mostly fictitious, some certain events and characters appear in the history books.

    Read More

  • Ancient Rome's Animal Cruelty for Entertainment

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the history of the Republic, there was a difference between the gladiatorial contests and other forms of spectacular entertainment. The Romans did not invent the concept of gladiatorial fighting; there is some uncertainty as to the exact source. One ancient source says it was the Etruscans, a non-Indo-European people who lived directly north of the Romans.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of Gladiator

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gladiator (2000) is an action drama about a Roman general that is betrayed by his country and is forced to fight in the Colosseum. This particular scene, which runs for approximately 5 minutes, is the aftermath of the fight scene between Maximus, the betrayed general, and Commodus, the jealous emperor who betrayed him. This scene is not only significant because it is the concluding scene of the film, but also because it represents the end of Maximus’s enslavement and his coming to peace with dying.

    Read More

  • The History Of The Olympic Games

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first Olympic games at Olympia were held in 776 BC. According to Hippias of Elis, who compiled a list of Olympic victors c.400 BC, the only event held at the first Olympics was the stadion footrace. Scholars have speculated that the games in 776 BC were not the first games, but rather the first games held after they were organized into festivals held every four years as a result of a peace agreement between the city-states Greece.

    Read More

More about The Life of a Gladiator

Open Document