Age

[Yehya]

Greetings,

Do we have any ideas of the age of gladiators? Was there a minimum, or a maximum? Did they retire (assuming they lived that long) at a certain age?

Joel

[Olaf]

According to the 2002 survey of the at least 68 Gladiators found burried in the Ephesos Graveyard all exppect one older couple were males in the early till late adult range (19-35 years).
Gladiator Gravestones of the 1st century AD also seem to hint at an age of about 27 on average.
Though in the Republic and also later centurys the likelyhood of being killed if you lost seems to have been higher then in the first century.

[Anonymous]

Im 66 in Febuary...:-D

[Anonymous]

Im 66 in Febuary...:-D

Pssst Muskitear in cognito due to login probs

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

Im 66 in Febuary...:-D

Pssst Muskitear in cognito due to login probs

Have you checked the rules and announcements forum? You should use the "lost my password"-function. You will be emailed a new password to log in with your normal account.

[Gashford]

I am almost 99% certain that I remember reading that one of the Emperors brought in legislation that meant the there was a minimum age for auctori at about 20 for men and 25 for women, but I am struggling to find the reference at the moment, I will continue to hunt for you.

Kind regards

Graham

[Forty-One]

I am almost 99% certain that I remember reading that one of the Emperors brought in legislation that meant the there was a minimum age for auctori at about 20 for men and 25 for women, but I am struggling to find the reference at the moment, I will continue to hunt for you.
m

That was a senatorial decree of the year 19 AD, found on a bronze tablet at Larinum (modern Larino) and published in 1978:

"And with regard to the provisions of the senatorial decree passed by the consuls Manius Lepidus and Titus Statilius Taurus, namely that it should be permissible for no female of free birth of less than twenty years of age and for no male of free birth of less than twenty-five years of age to pledge himself as a gladiator or hire out his services for the arena or stage."

[Gashford]

Thankyou so much, after two PC crashes since I last read it somewhere I was worried I had seemed to have lost the details; you've saved me a life time of hunting about :-D