So we had some exciting news that they were planning to excavate the amphitheatre at Richborough - which is on my doorstep. One question. They think gladiator combat took place here. Would amphitheatres in the provinces had gladiator schools attached to them?
I think amphitheatres would have gladiator schools attached to them, or at least a fortress prison building -a so-called "home" for the gladiators-
There were gladiator schools near all major cities in the Roman Empire (think of Rome, Ravenna, Carnuntum, Pompeii etc.).
Unlike other gladiator schools outside of Rome, the schools or
Ludi Gladiatorium in Rome were not privately owned, but were supervisioned by imperial officers (procuratores), who were picked from the class of the equites (knights).
These gladiator schools served as barracks and/or prisons for gladiators between their fights.
--
a permanent sleeping place or "home"for the gladiators. --
They trained year-round for combat at a nearly public amphitheatre.
Recent excavations at Carnuntum shows that the gladiator schools looked a lot like a fortress-prison. It also resembled the gladiator schools near Rome/Ravenna etc.
These similarities show that gladiators were housed and trained in the provinces in the same way as in the metropolis. The fortress prison building also undermines the image of gladiators as traveling from town to town in a circus-like setting.
Despite the fact that we can never get an accurate/correct answer on your question, excavations such as in Carnuntum and Richborough give us more insight into the ancient world and provides a more detailed and vivid picture of the life (and deaths) of the gladiators.
Here's a video about how the gladiator school in Carnuntum might have looked like:
https://youtu.be/QCaVH6NdtSM