An Interesting Thought...

[john m roberts]

Fighting spirit, fearlessness and aggressiveness would have been the qualities sought by the ludus. Once those were determined, training was merited. Sources tell us of the lowest class of gladiators, the gregarii, who "fight under a standard." Presumably these would have been used in mass fights. Lanistae would have studied every man's behavior in these contests, to determine whether he was a promising fighter, worthy of the investment in time and training, or just a waste of rations.

As to looks, I recall seeing mention of a listing of gladiators by category and price. The highest prices went for "the beautiful ones."