Gladiators
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GLADIATORIAL SLAVERY IN ANCIENT ROME
Year 9 History Elective Part B
GLADIATORIAL SLAVERY IN ANCIENT ROME
Year 9 History Elective Part B
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
Gladiatorial Slavery was perhaps the most popular form of slavery in Ancient Rome. It was the brutal act of pitting one man against another in an arena to fight to the death for the pleasure of a crowd and the Emperor. The key features of this ruthless sport though were the ownership and training, types, treatment, legal rights and manumission of gladiators.
Gladiators came from and were trained all over Rome. Many of the men forced to perform in the arena were from slave or criminal backgrounds, many even condemned to die though some were free men who sold themselves into the sport for money, power or fame. These men were known as “Auctoratis’” and were seen as neither a criminal nor a slave making their social status uncertain though they were often wildly popular. Gladiators were also often scouted by recruiters or taken as prisoners of war since ‘in their grandest form, gladiatorial combats could use thousands of captured criminals, prisoners of war or slaves’. Because gladiators were acquired from all over Rome, many different types were established. One such gladiator was the Retiarius, often said to be the easiest to identify as he wore no helmet or greaves, did not carry a shield and had the manica on his left arm instead of his right. Although the Retiarius did possess a certain lack of armour, he did have many factors in his favour. His long trident was very useful for stabbing opponents from a distance and he was also equipped with a net. Evidence suggests that the net was employed in one of three ways which were to drag the net in front of the body, keeping the opponent at a distance, use it as a distraction or as a primary weapon. By this method, the retiarius would first attempt to use the net to entangle his opponent and then use the trident to...
Year 9 History Elective Part B
GLADIATORIAL SLAVERY IN ANCIENT ROME
Year 9 History Elective Part B
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
Gladiatorial Slavery was perhaps the most popular form of slavery in Ancient Rome. It was the brutal act of pitting one man against another in an arena to fight to the death for the pleasure of a crowd and the Emperor. The key features of this ruthless sport though were the ownership and training, types, treatment, legal rights and manumission of gladiators.
Gladiators came from and were trained all over Rome. Many of the men forced to perform in the arena were from slave or criminal backgrounds, many even condemned to die though some were free men who sold themselves into the sport for money, power or fame. These men were known as “Auctoratis’” and were seen as neither a criminal nor a slave making their social status uncertain though they were often wildly popular. Gladiators were also often scouted by recruiters or taken as prisoners of war since ‘in their grandest form, gladiatorial combats could use thousands of captured criminals, prisoners of war or slaves’. Because gladiators were acquired from all over Rome, many different types were established. One such gladiator was the Retiarius, often said to be the easiest to identify as he wore no helmet or greaves, did not carry a shield and had the manica on his left arm instead of his right. Although the Retiarius did possess a certain lack of armour, he did have many factors in his favour. His long trident was very useful for stabbing opponents from a distance and he was also equipped with a net. Evidence suggests that the net was employed in one of three ways which were to drag the net in front of the body, keeping the opponent at a distance, use it as a distraction or as a primary weapon. By this method, the retiarius would first attempt to use the net to entangle his opponent and then use the trident to...