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did the gladiators fight to the death - Printable Version

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did the gladiators fight to the death - Jeroen Pelgrom - 09-10-2001

in hollywood movies you always see gladiators fight to the death, how was this in real life. I find it hard to believe that a lanista would throw away money so easy (training a gladiator is very expensive). I think that it was mixed, most fights were not to the death, only in special occasoins did the gladiators fight to the death (birthday present for the emperor?)<br>
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also, what are good books about the subject of gladiators (also URL's)<br>
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thank you, jeroen pelgrom

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blood - Catiline - 09-10-2001

Gladiators were originally used in funeral games, fought at funerals and to commemorate the dead, it was effectively a form of blood sacrifice, and was not to the death. THey were certainly very expensive, and we can't think of most fights as being to hte death, enough were certainly surviving to become 'heavies' for mobs and gangs etc.Plus gladiators were trained to fight well and in an entertaining fashion. Although htey were skilled they certainly weren't going into hte arena looking for quick kills. <p></p><i></i>


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Anonymous - 09-10-2001

According to <i> Star Trek</i> they did. <p><br><br><i><b>Your acceptance of me is not the lynchpin of my happiness.</i></b></p><i></i>


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Anonymous - 09-11-2001

Ah, yes....Bread and Circuses.....I remember that one Marius!<br>
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~Quintus <p></p><i></i>


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Guest - 09-11-2001

Salve,<br>
<br>
Gladiators could fight in matches to the death, but show fights purely intended for display were also put on. The number of days of gladiatorial combat were also limited. Though the extravagant hundredplus days of games given at rare occasions are best known, in regular years there would be only ten days of gladiatorial games. Races and wild beast hunts, <i> venationes</i>, were much more regular events.<br>
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Recommended reading<br>
<br>
Wiedemann, T., <i> Emperors and gladiators</i> (London 1992), Useful for distinguishing fact and myth surrounding the gladiatorial games.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=sandervandorst>Sander van Dorst</A> at: 9/11/01 11:30:41 am<br></i>


? - Anonymous - 10-16-2001

But then again, I saw a program on the History Channel that said most of the events in the arena weren't actual man to man-gladiator to gladiator combat. In the mornings they would have beast hunts. In the afternoon they would "punish" the Christians and other religious groups, and in the evening would come the main events.<br>
Here's another thought > Would you want to simply allow your best gladiator, whom you've bought, fed, and trained, all using a lot of money, to simply have them get killed in their first match?<br>
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Vale,<br>
C. Brianus <p></p><i></i>


Re: ? - Anonymous - 10-16-2001

If my best gladiator gets killed in his first match, I need to take up crockery. <p><BR><p align=center><font color=gold><font size=3>
__________________<BR>
CASCA TARQUINIUS<BR>
<a href=http://www.legio-ix-hispana.org> LEGIO IX HISPANA</font></font><BR><font color=gold><font size=3>
__________________</font></font></p><i></i>


Re: ? - Anonymous - 11-04-2001

I always believed that they did unless the crowd voted not to kill them<br>
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Boggs <p></p><i></i>


Gladiatorial fights - Anonymous - 12-29-2001

Gladiatorial fighting was certainly a full-contact sport. However, all gladiators did not die in the arena. Some retired as rich freedmen, after numerous victorious fights. The good ones were worshipped like modern pop-stars. The contract between the lanista, the gladiatorial school manager and the individual offering the games specified whether the fight would be "sine missio" or not. "Sine missio" means "without leave", in other words until the death of at least half of the combatants.<br>
Considering the price of a well trained gladiator you needed a solid fortune to organize a "sine missio" event, IMHO..<br>
It was of course different in the case of prisoners of war. Every crushed revolt produced great numbers of prisoners of war and those were often sacrificed in the arena. In this case it was probably "sine missio".<br>
Some pottery ware from Gaul decorated with gladiatorial scenes demonstrates also that the public could ask for mercy in favor of the defeated gladiator. Or even for both when they had fought well. At that point they shouted "Stantes Missi" (May they leave standing).<br>
And of course there was the theatrics and the rigged fights. It is quite easy for two superbly trained athletes to give a fantastic show, finish the fight with a harmless but impressive flesh wound and receive their "missio".<br>
Moreover, in the case of stars, I suspect no one would want to see them die. They wanted to come back the next day and watch them again..<br>
But basically, a gladiator was there to die and the arena was a bloody place indeed. All in all, as far as contact sports are concerned I'm content enough with Rugby football. <p></p><i></i>


Re: Gladiatorial fights - Gashford - 01-06-2002

I have to agree, as far as contact sports go Rugby will do me as well.<br>
<br>
To the question. It is difficult to talk of gladiators and who would die and who would live without qualifying which sort of gladiator we are talking of, and there where many.<br>
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Within a large gladiatorial show you might expect to see men fighting as gladiators with wooden weapons, others dressed in very strange garb fighting with (allegidly) non lethal weapons. Then the gladiators themselves had professionals, volunteers, POWs, criminals, thrill seekers, slaves, contractors and so. Practically, if you can think of a reason for ending up in the arena they probably had it.<br>
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For example, it is believed that at large reenactments such as Naumachari or other battle reenactments with a cast of hundreds all those involved where more than likely condemned criminals. However, in last minute grudge matches famous gladiators worth a fortune might be wheeled in to get the crowd reaching for the edge of their seats. I am not a great fan of it, but you need only watch a good WWF to see what happens to the crowd when an unexpected retiree comes into the ring to sort out some undesirable.<br>
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There are hints that death was not as common as Hollywood suggests. Caligula ordered some gladiators to kill their fallen enemies but they hesitated - this might suggest that their deaths went against some form of rule that existed and their slaughter was not warrented. The very fact that some fighters would resign themselves to the decision of the editor after a fight, demonstrates that death was no certianty. Otherwise, it is doubtful they would surrender rather than at least try to kill the other fighter. Contemporary authors complained of wholesale slaughter as unentertaining, again showing us that death was not always the main puller.<br>
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I hope that this helps in some way.<br>
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Yours<br>
<br>
Graham <p></p><i></i>


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - F. Antili Oregensis - 04-22-2005

Just a reminder. The executions in the "half time show" were more than just persecution of Christians and other religious groups. The people executed were considered threats to the state, or convicted felons. There's an interesting illustration of this in one of the stories in Marcus Aurilius' "The Golden Ass." Interesting note that the persecuted religions under the Christian Emperors were the Pagans who had been persecuting them before hand.

Slainte
Jeff I.
F. Antili Oregensis


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - L C Cinna - 04-23-2005

Tere were very strict rules for gladiatorial games. The refree was very important, he would interrupt the fights whenever rules were broken. Death of a gladiator might often be because he broke certain rules and was punished. Remember this is a dangerous sport and a violation of rules might cause the death of your opponent.

Having a referee is imho an indication that death was not intendet in the first place, because the his job is (just like in modern sports) to protect the players.


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Opifex - 05-10-2005

Just from another view.

Gladiator games was for entertain the people.
If somebody was fighting for his life, was never beautiful, nice, practiced, enjoyable etc... It is nice only in a movie.
So it could be more aggressive and much more deadly but little bit similar to professional boxing or K1.


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Tarbicus - 12-03-2005

There's a short article in New Scientist online which I think might be relevant to this topic: Gladiators fought for thrills, not kills by Emma Young.


Re: did the gladiatos fight to the death - Gashford - 12-05-2005

The little report is quite interesting. The shields missing is something which has always puzzled me, also it is very rare, if ever, that you see a victorious gladiator raising his sword in victory, it is nearly always his shield.

I think that what is being recognised here is an ancient importance associated to the with the shield which perhaps we miss too easily these days.

The Greeks placed tremendous importance upon the shield as a soldier and individual, I would suggest that the Romans may well have done as well.

Certainly in our own group we are finding that the shield is increasingly more important with the gladius almost being relegated to a secondary weapon status. The gladius is often employed to get the opponent to open themselves up, from worry of a cut until it can be finally employed in the finishing blow. However it is important to state that this 'finishing blow' is not for the gladiators death but rather the last blow of the fight. At least we are starting to think this is how it was done.