+- RomanArmyTalk (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat)
+-- Forum: Research Arena (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Ancient Combat Sports (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=11)
+--- Thread: Gladiator Rules (/showthread.php?tid=4838)
Gladiator Rules - Arthes - 02-23-2006
Greetings,
according to this article from yesterday, Gladiators did abide by a code of conduct during fights
...[url:13ai7g2w]http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2006-02-22T204331Z_01_L22276551_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-SCIENCE-GLADIATORS-DC.XML[/url]
regards
Arthes
More on the gladiators - Viventius - 02-23-2006
This is part of the Article in the New Scientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/bei ... 4.600.html
There's a little more about the two Austrian scientists and how they made their findings about the gladiators
Re: Gladiator Rules - Conal - 02-23-2006
Quote (Injuries to the front of each skull suggested that each opponent used just one type of weapon per bout of face-to-face contact, the researchers say in a paper to be published in Forensic Science International)
What does this mean ? Very confusing as the skull was not exposed, except for the Retiarius, so what caused the damage, and how does it show that one type of weapon was used ?
This new revalation would have been less of a surprise had they read a few books recenlty published and a few ancient texts :?
Re: Gladiator Rules - Gashford - 02-23-2006
I think that the idea gladiators fought to a set of rules is surely a lot simpler to conclude to than carrying out forensic studies of 67 skeletons? In many images a umpires or referee is obviously seen, in a great many images he is doing 'something', his clavii would indicate he held some rank (if only in the arena) and he is clearly shown indicating things and in some hold gladiators back.
Seems a lot of work for something we have already known, hopefully the forensic studies will reveal something a little more interesting in the future, just MHO.
All the best
Re: Gladiator Rules - Conal - 02-23-2006
Graham
I hope the actual article is more illuminating than what I have read so far as it worries me when people extrapolate when they have "apparently" no basis for doing so as they have clearly(
hock: ) not looked at other sources.It doesn't do their case much good when they use the "Gladiator" guys as advisers :roll:
Conal
Re: Gladiator Rules - Conal - 02-23-2006
Apparently there is an extract in todays Daily Mail for you UK guys.
Re: Gladiator Rules - Medusa Gladiatrix - 02-23-2006
This article mixes up quite some things: This figure called Charun made sure that a person is dead by giving him a blow with a hammer, but he did this only to the noxii (people sentenced to death in the arena) and not to gladiators. Also dragging out fallen people from the arena only applied to the noxii, fallen gladiators were carried away on a bier, so in a much more dignified way. Only backstage some one checked if a gladiator who received a iugulatio was really dead and does not just pretend his death.
It's already a well known fact that gladiators fought to certain rules. There was the summa rudis (kind of referee) who could interrupt a fight if it was not according to the rules. Just check the works by Marcus Junkelmann or Thomas Wiedemann.
When the article refers to Kathleen Coleman as an advisor to the movie "Gladiator" it's true that the movie makers had consulted her in the first place but she asked that her name should be left out of the credits when she saw what they made for a kind of movie, that the gladiators there bear no resemblance to the real thing.
The forensic studies of the Austrians could only find out how a certain person died or what injuries this person had and maybe also what he usually ate. But to say that all gladiators did it like that is generalizing. Unfortunatel they do so in these articles just because it's a catchy topic.
Re: Gladiator Rules - Martin Moser - 02-24-2006
Quote:Hi guys, you haven't watch this?
http://www.technofile.com/dvds/colosseum.html
I got it along with Pompeii, it explaind everithing,
<snip>
Yes, like that gladiators on foot fought with pseudo-cavalry helmets without the face mask so that everybody could see their faces (if one thing about gladiators at that time is for sure it's that the most uniformly protected spot was the face (exc. retiarius)) in more or less fantasy armor without a referee in sight and using whatever weapon/shield/etc. combination someone on the set thought looked cool. Ack. Saw it once on TV and will never watch it again.
Re: Gladiator Rules - Martin Moser - 02-24-2006
Quote:yes gladiators not always fought to death, it was very expensive stuff!
Yes, you are right. However this statement must be seen with caution , too, as it seems. Gravestones, graffiti etc. from the 1st c. AD IIRC implicate that about 1 in 10 fights ended with the death of a gladiator, or in other words 1 in 5 gladiator losing their duels were killed. Later, the ratio seems to change steadily with a higher percentage of gladiators being killed until sometime in the 3rd or 4th c. we even hear about fights where ties were not allowed anymore. On top of this we cannot be quite sure that the information taken from graffiti especially takes into account wounded gladiators dying of their wounds only days later. At any rate, judging by the gravestones, living beyond the age of 30 was not the normal thing for most gladiators.
Re: Gladiator Rules - Medusa Gladiatrix - 02-25-2006
Quote:Yes, like that gladiators on foot fought with pseudo-cavalry helmets without the face mask so that everybody could see their faces
Gladiators in the 1st century BCE had helmets which were similar to the Roman infantry, e.g. the provocatores. Only in the 1st century CE their armor got more and more specialized and more types appeared, e.g. the murmillo is a more specialized type of provocator, his weapons are the same, but his helmet has now a face mask. Esp. the retiarius is a quite new gladiator type which came up in the 1st century CE.
Re: Gladiator Rules - Martin Moser - 02-26-2006
Quote:Gladiators in the 1st century BCE had helmets which were similar to the Roman infantry, e.g. the provocatores.
<snip>
Yes, you are of course right (I guess you are referring to Junkelmann, Das Spiel mit dem Tod pp. 67/68, pics. 67-69 e.g.), but note that I was talking about a film set in the Colosseum, so we should expect late 1st century AD equipment and therefore visored helmets here. Film directors seem unable to bear to have their heroes' faces hidden from the camera ...
Re: Gladiator Rules - Medusa Gladiatrix - 02-26-2006
Salve Martin,
Yes, I'm referring to the Junkelmann book. And I also have this BBC documentary. It's true that they used gladiators in the style of the 1st century BCE in a venue which was only errected at the end of the 1st century CE. Again a proof how inaccurate directors are, the more as this is a documentary and not a movie like "Gladiator".
Re: Gladiator Rules - Martin Moser - 02-27-2006
Quote:Ok! I just saw today in History Channel a documentary about Gladiators.
Sounds interesting, what's the title of it?
Re: Gladiator Rules - Medusa Gladiatrix - 03-01-2006
Quote:But when I search in their site this is what I came across!
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=72405
What a pity, it seems to be available only for the American market. Tried to find it for Germany/Europe, but no chance
