Karen Meredith, Foothill College:  "A Contempt for Pain and
                   Death"

Gladiators - Who Were They?

The word gladiator comes from the Latin for swordsman, from gladius, sword. That definition does not do justice to the life of that professional combatant. The first gladiators were part of a sacrificial rite adopted from the Etruscans. First introduced to Rome in 264 BC, the sons of Junius Brutus honored their father at his funeral by matching three pairs of gladiators. Gladitorial combat was originally part of a religious ceremony that was intended to insure that the dead would be accompanied to the "next world" by armed attendants and that the spirits of the dead would be appeased with this offering of blood.

Traditionally, this ritual was performed to honor important men.  However, as the years passed, the ritual lost much of its religious significance. As this "sport" became more popular, Tertullian (born in Carthage, one of the greatest Western theologians) observed "this class of public entertainment has passed from being a compliment to the dead to being a compliment to the living." Aristocratic funerals became increasingly political acts where the living demonstrated their wealth, celebrated their victories and enhanced their reputations. Emperors presented the games to represent their power.

Gladiators were generally condemned criminals, prisoners of war or slaves bought for this purpose. Some free men entered this profession in hopes of popularity and patronage by wealthy citizens. The free men were often social outcasts, freed slaves or discharged soldiers. They volunteered to be gladiators and by the end of the Republic made up half the number of combatants. Gladiators were trained in combat at special, imperial schools.

The gladiators fought in various styles, depending on their background and training. Originally, as captured soldiers, they were made to fight with their own weapons and in their own style of combat. Because these soldiers were from other lands, their appearance was exotic and weapons distinct from those of the Romans.

In the first century AD, three of every five people did not survive to see their twentieth birthday and the odds of a professional gladiator surviving any one match was one in 10. Conversely, criminals who were to be publicly executed or Christian martyrs who refused to renounce their faith and worship the gods had no hope of survival in the arena. For it was the spectators who could spare the life of the loser with the wave of their handkerchiefs or the turn of their thumbs. This public spectacle would not be the place for the audience to show mercy to these gladiators.

A Day (or Days) at the Games

Gladitorial games were presented for ten to twelve days each year and often coincided with Saturnalia, a festival celebrating the god Saturn. (held around the time of the winter solstice with general feasting and revelry) Professional sign painters advertised with red lettered signs; heralds also proclaimed these spectacles. Programs were available to aid in the inevitable betting.

In the morning, battles between wild beasts would be presented. You might see bears fighting buffaloes, buffaloes against elephants, elephants against rhinoceros. Even the ostriches that were brought in to amuse the spectators were not spared. After dashing around the arena, they were killed by arrows from archers who were located in the stands. Fights between men and tame beasts were called , and were held to demonstrate man's power over even the strongest of beasts.

It is sad to note that the popularity of these spectacles led to the deaths of tens of thousands of animals. Entire species were no longer found in their native habitat, having been captured or driven away. Hippopotamuses were no longer seen in Egypt, elephants were not found in northern Africa and the population of lions disappeared from Assyria.

In the afternoon you would see gladiators appropriately paired; evenly matched, but not identical so there would be no competitive advantage. You might see retiarii, who were lightly armed, but mobile fight against the secutores or myrmillones , who were protected, but weighted down by their armor. This asymmetry was intriguing and demonstrates a sense of fairness that the spectators desired. Depending on the emperor of the day, you might see dwarfs fighting women, Amazons, or even senators and emperors. (note: Severus forbade female combatants in 200 AD- how civil!)

What Would I be Doing?

I was not yet 11 years old when I witnessed the viciousness of a bull fight in Barcelona, Spain. This seems to have been a defining moment in my life as I watched in horror as the death of the bulls was presented as an art or a game in which to entertain. I cannot bear violence and I say this to support my feeling that had I lived during these times, I would like to think that I would have avoided any contact or association with this supposed sport. My reading on this subject would support otherwise.

While Romans enjoyed going to the theater to see concerts and plays and to the stadium to watch chariot races, by far the most popular entertainment was to go the amphitheater to watch bloody battles. The most famous amphitheater was the Colosseum, the Flavian Amphitheatre which was built around 80 AD. It seated 50,000 people. The monumental size of this structure and its central location in the city speaks directly to the importance of this building and consequently this sport in the Roman Empire. Studies of Western civilizations show that where a society invests its money is where its priorities are. For four centuries, this bloody sport was entertainment for the masses.

A statesman of the day argued that these spectacles served a purpose beyond entertainment. Pliny the Elder said that viewing the games would inspire "a contempt for pain and death, since even slaves and criminals displayed a love of praise and desire for victory in the arena" Certainly, the games occupied the days of the citizens who would, therefore, not dwell on political unrest. This could explain how the games fulfilled political and social functions. Minus the extreme and final violence of death seen during these spectacles, we would be hard pressed to show how modern day sports such as professional hockey and football are much different than gladitorial games. The partisan support to our chosen teams demonstrates the enthusiasm some modern day citizens have towards their teams.

Just as gladitorial games lasted from dawn till dusk and over a period of many days- the current "March Madness" of the NCAA basketball tournament is no different. It is human nature to want to belong to some thing, to some team. Many of us who root for the Forty Niners should not be surprised to know that some of our ancestors were spectators at the games of their times.

March 1998, by Dr. K. Feig

 LUST FOR BLOOD