So much of what we assume is fact about gladiators comes from what we've seen in movies, or read in novels. This fascinating two part podcast episode chat with Alexander Mariotti is just the place to start to dispel some of these myths. Alexander helps us to better understand gladiators and gladiatorial combat back in ancient Roman times.
About Alexander Mariotti
Alexander is an award-winning Roman historical consultant, and a leading speaker on gladiatorial life, combat, and weaponry. His main focus is working as a historical consultant and advisor to the media, countless documentaries, TV shows, and movies.
Head to the History Channel and the recent six part series, Colosseum; you'll see Alexander featured throughout the series as one of the show's historical consultants.
A few others to check out:
Ancient Assassins – Discovery Channel
The Sack of Rome, ancient weaponry, Medieval military tactics, and the Swiss Gaurd.
Metropolis – Travel Channel
Gladiatorial combat and weaponry.
Codes and Conspiracies – Discovery Channel
Papal History, the secret archives, and medieval Italian history.
Alexander also has an active and fascinating tour business, and guides visitors to Rome who want to experience and share in the gladiatorial experience with Alexander.
You can find Alexander on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Gladiators and gladiatorial combat have been depicted throughout history in sculptures, frescoes, mosaics and paintings. I've included some of them below. My favorite is this fresco of the Fighting Gladiators from Pompeii.
The fresco of the Fighting Gladiators is a 2019 discovery at the Regio V, Pompeii excavation site. "It depicts two gladiators at the end of a fight, with one winning and the other succumbing.
It's a scene of combat between a ‘Murmillo’ and a ‘Thracian’, two types of fighters who were distinguished both by their different armor and by the traditional opponents they faced in gladiatorial fights. On a white background, bounded by a red band on three sides, the scene of the duel between the two gladiators. On the left is the ‘Murmillo’ of the ‘Scutati’ category, wielding an offensive weapon, the gladium (the Roman short sword), as well as a large rectangular shield (scutum), and wearing a wide-brimmed helmet equipped with a visor and crest. The other, who appears to be losing, is a ‘Thracian’, a gladiator of the ‘Parmularii’ category, with his shield on the ground. He is depicted with a wide-brimmed helmet (galea) equipped with a wide visor to protect the face, surmounted by a tall crest."
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10 myths - and unusual truths - about gladiators and gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome
1. Only slaves were gladiators
Some gladiators were slaves, but others were prisoners of war, or Roman citizens who chose to become a gladiator. For a Roman citizen of low social standing and low income it was a way to have elevated income, plus admiration within the arena.
2. Gladiators engaged in combat with wild animals like lions and tigers
Gladiators never engaged in combat with wild animals. Beast hunters, known as bestiarii, were specially trained animal hunters that engaged in combat with wild animals in the arena.
3. Gladiators lived as slaves and were mistreated
Gladiators were well treated. They had three meals a day, secure housing, clothing and medical care: all much sought after in ancient Roman times.
4. Gladiators frequently engaged in combat
Gladiators had work contracts. A contract usually began with a two-year trial, and then this progressed into a five-year contract. Usually a contract specified that a gladiator only needed to engage in 1 to 3 fights per year. Gladiators were, however, able to sign up for additional combat if they wished.
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5. There were also women gladiators
There were no women gladiators. Gladiators were highly trained skilled athletes, always men.
There were occasions when women appeared in combat in the arena, often bare-breasted, and usually as part of the pre-gladiatorial combat entertainment.
6. Wild animals killed in the arena were fed to the crowd
Strange as this may seem, Alexander Mariotti says it's true!
7. Gladiatorial combat was a fight to the death
Not necessarily. Although some combats were a fight to the death more often than not, they weren't. At a time when three of every five persons did not survive until their twentieth birthday, the odds of a professional gladiator being killed in any particular bout, at least during the first century AD, were perhaps one in ten.
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8. Thumbs up meant a gladiator got to live, and thumbs down meant death
Probably not, and this notion seems to have been popularized in the Gladiator film. Take a look at this Time article that explains in detail the history of the thumbs up and thumbs down gesture.
9. Gladiatorial combat has a lot in common with modern day team sports like American football
This seems to be true. Just like American football and other teams sports gladiators had their own teams, leagues, official training and trainers at gladiator schools, and referees at the combats. There were major and minor leagues just like today. Roman gladiators competing at the Colosseum were the top of the top, in Rome's number one team within the major league.
10. All gladiators wore the same armor and fought with the same armaments
Not at all! Colosseum.org explains that "there were over two dozen different types of gladiators, distinguished from each other by the weapons they used, the armor they wore, the fighting styles they employed, and the events at which they fought. Here's a list of the most recognizable ones:
Murmillo, heavily armored gladiators that used a large, oblong shield and a sword called a gladius. Their most distinctive trait was the full-cover helmet decorated with a fish-shaped crest.
Thraxes, which wore similar armor to the Murmillo, but who used a smaller, rectangular shield and a curved thracian sword. Their helmet also covered the entire head, but was decorated with a griffin instead of a fish.
Retiarius, the famous gladiators wielding a large net and a trident. They wore lighter armor and had no shield, and fought by attempting to trap their opponents under their net and stabbing at them with their three-pronged spear.
Essedarius, which were mounted gladiators. There is little information on them beyond that they fought mounted on chariots.
Hoplomachus, which translates to ‘armed fighter’ in greek, were gladiators who carried a throwing spear, a short sword, a small, round shield, and who sported a plumed helmet."
More unusual and unique things about Rome!
Six surprising Trevi Fountain facts you probably don't know.
14 hidden gems in Rome.
Behind the scenes of the Rome Opera House and the many unusual things about it!
A rarely explored secret Rome neighborhood: the Quartière Coppedé.
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Complimenti!!!
Grazie!