THE GLADIATOR

THE GLADIATOR

HOLLYWOOD COMES THROUGH
Shanna C.

Occasionally the movie industry produces a historical movie that is ,for the most part, grounded in historical fact. Such a movie is the recently released "Gladiator." In Hollywood's brief history of making movies, it has re-written history more than once. It's not that  Hollwood intentionally meant to mislead the public or deliver false historical information.  It is just that a good story sells, and depending on the mood of the "mob" at the time they maybe had to alter the facts a bit to provide an entertaining movie that the public would buy. In "Gladiator," they have managed to combine the best of both. The story is gripping enough to be entertaining and historically factual enough to appease the most skeptical historian.

Separating Fact from Fiction
As I watched the movie I became a detective of historical fact and fiction. I wanted to know if the movie had any basis in fact and if it did what were those facts, and if not where did the movie delve into fiction? In my research I found that while there were non-factual parts of the movie, most of it was soundly based in historical fact. There was only one area that I could find that glaringly deviated from the truth. That was in the area of relationships. There is no documentation to prove that Commodus had a sister although he was certainly Marcus Aurelius's son. And although killing each other was part of the Caesar history, the idea that Commodus killed his father is pure fiction. Historians generally agree that Marcus Aurelius died of the plague in Vienna on March 17, 180 AD (AURELIUS.HTM pg. 1 lines 42-43). It is also untrue that Marcus found his son unfit to rule. He had Commodus named Caesar when he was 5 years old and named him as his successor when he was 17 (romanemp/commod.htm pg. 2 lines 1-6). As a Roman father he was undoubtedly loving and dotting and spoiled his son terribly. Unfortunately, the movie was quite accurate in its portrayal of Commodus. While most historians depict him as he appears in the movie, vain, evil, dictatorial and insane, (gladiator/gladiator-ch7.htm) there is also evidence that in life as in the movie he was popular with the "mob." He was very generous to the lower classes and gave them money and other gifts. He held lots of extravagant games in the Coliseum and he liked to participate in them. This delighted the "mob" but the senate hated him for it. During his time as Caesar, several attempts were made on his life. It is not true that he died in the arena but was strangled to death as he bathed in his bath (roman/commod.htm).

Caesar and the Army
If you got the impression from the movie that Marcus Aurelius was a "good" Caesar you would be right, at least as far as Caesars go. The movie accurately portrayed Marcus Aurelius as a ruler who was tired of war and bloodshed. In real life he was probably not suited to fill the role of Caesar. History remembers him as the "philosopher king." He was a man who was much more comfortable with peace and intellectual pursuits than with wars. During his reign the pax romana which was a long period of peace in Rome failed and as shown in the movie he found himself locked in endless wars with the Germanic people. The Germanic tribes had been hard to conquer (AURELIUS.HTM pg. 1 lines 27-41). Here again the movie takes liberties with the truth because he died before he completed his conquest of Germany. His reign as Emperor had been long and difficult. And the Caesar who was more suited to peace than to war finally got to rest.

As for his general Maximus, he never existed. But that is not to say a relationship much like theirs would not have been possible. There was great loyalty to good leaders in Rome and Marcus Aurelius was considered a "good" Caesar (Mediterranean/Maurelius.html). Yet I wondered if it was possible for a Spaniard to become a "general' in the Roman army? The answer was yes. By the end of the First century the Roman colonization of Spain was complete. The people of Spain spoke Latin, used Roman institutions like slave labor, and traded with Roman money. Spain provided Rome with some of its greatest writers, orators and politicians and soldiers (Marcus Aurelius was born in Spain). Rome had granted the Hispanic population citizenship and had given many of them land to farm. Roman soldiers married Spanish women and their children were Roman citizens (heritage/roman5.html). The movie quite accurately describes the Roman army. It used swords, shields, and bows and arrows as weapons. It depended mainly on its artillery regiments to do the fighting and iIn large campaigns the army used catapults. The Romans did have a love of horses but they rarely saw battle (aadepa/army.html pg. 3 lines 39-46). Much to my amazement the uniforms and armor of the soldiers were historically correct.

Togas, Treachery and the Coliseum
So often in Hollywood's epic historical movies they have taken great liberties with the clothing of an era. This did not happen in "Gladiator." The soldiers, Emperors, gladiators, noble women and children as well as the common citizens were dressed to Roman Imperial perfection. The dress of Roman citizens as seen painted on ancient temple walls, in mosaics and in sculptures came to life in "Gladiator." As an interesting aside: good taste at the time dictated that men wear only one ring (Donnclass/Romanlife.html pg. 3 lines 47-56). Did you notice that when Maximus walked through the wheat field in his dream he had on only one ring? I don't know if this was intentional but it was an interesting historical detail.

In Roman Times as in the movie it was very possible that someone like Maximus could have been betrayed. Treachery, conspiracy, and plots were common in Roman history. Plus the Romans built replicas of Rome all over the Empire; there are ruins of Roman cities and arenas everywhere in Europe and North Africa (Blood/blood.html). The movie accurately depicted gladiatorial schools where slaves and criminals were taught to be gladiators (bmcmanus/arena.html). It was probably not uncommon for an innocent man to end up as a gladiator now and then. Even if you found yourself in this predicament though, all was not lost, if you were good enough and "won the crowd" you could earn your freedom as well as some fame and glory (arena/arena.html pg. 1 lines 17-19).

As I watched "Gladiator" I felt like I had been given the rare opportunity to time travel back to the "glory that was Rome." From looking at images of ruins and re-creations of Ancient Rome on the Internet (www.iei.net/~tryan/walk.html), I knew the movie maker had been faithful to those people that had toiled so long and hard under the Italian sun for so many centuries to build this wonder of a city in the Ancient World. The Coliseum was especially impressive. From its magnificent size and underground chambers where the gladiators and exotic animals were kept to the trap door in the Coliseum floor, the architectural details were very factual. The citizens of Rome loved their games and the Coliseum could seat as the movie stated 50,000 of them.

The Crowd Roars for More
It may seem strange to us that the citizens of Rome loved to watch these games, they were brutal, bloody, savage and inhumane. But so was their existence. When the pax romana failed, the Republic failed with it. The people were once again faced with wars and barbarians. The city had become overcrowded and there were riots and plague. They had lost their precious right to vote. The games were used by the government to appease the masses. The games gave the people who had lost their personal power a chance to feel powerful again. They held the power of life and death in their hands; at the games anyway. The games were the biggest popularity contest in history. If the crowd liked you, it gave you thumbs up and you lived. If it did not like you, you got thumbs down and you died.

The games also had a political purpose - they entertained the masses and kept them distracted from the harsh realities of their own lives. They eliminated huge sectors of undesirable people from their population like unwanted slaves, criminals and prisoners of war.

No one really knows why the "Mob" liked the blood and gore so much; there is only speculation. Maybe the brutality of the games made their own lives seem easier. Maybe they had become so desensitized to killing and wars and battles that "playing" at war seemed mild in comparison to the real thing. Maybe they had become so vain and arrogant as to think that Romans were the only people that had a right to life. And worse still, maybe they had lost all ability to care and think for themselves and went along with whatever the government proposed and said was good for them. The fact remains that no matter how repulsive the idea seems to us, the Romans loved their games and the games gave them something they desperately needed. There is no denying the greatness of Rome and her vast contributions to the development of Western Civilization. I think the movie "Gladiator" comes very close to telling the truth about the lives and times of the Ancient Romans. I can honestly say that because of this movie and the research I have done, I found a lot of compassion for the people and understanding of the history of the Roman Empire.

Bibliography:

Gladiator. Dir. Ridley Scott. Dreamworks, 2000.

MotivationalQuotes.Com presents Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor - http://www.motivatiinalquotes.com/People/marcus.shtml
Roman Emperors - Marcus commodus - http://www.salve.edu/~romanemp/commod.htm
Island of Freedom - Marcus Aurelius - http://www.island-of-freedom.com/AURELIUS.HTM
Gladiator, The Story Behind the Movie - Chapter 7 - THUMBS DOWN FOR COMMODUS - Http://www.lawbuzz.com/tyranny/gladiator/gladiator-ch7/htm
The Emperor Marcus Aurelius: Mediterranean Basin Chronology http://campus.northpark.edu/history//WebChron/Mediteranean/MAurelius.html
Spanish History - http://www.camelotintl.com/heritage/roman5.html
The Roman Army - wysiwyg://B.127/http://www.geocities.com/aadepa/army.html
Marcus Aurelius - http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/aurelius.htm
Ancient Rome Daily Life - http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Romelife.html
Blood Sports by I. Johnson, B. Macey, S. Cook, and A. Guinn - http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Blood/blood.html
Arena: Gladiatorial Games - http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/arena.html
Architectural sites visited:
www.iei.net/~tryan/walk.html
http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/colosseumslides
html www.geocities.com/athens/pantheon/9013/gallery.html
www.greatbuildings.com/types/styles/roman.html http://www.tulane.edu/lester/text/western.architect/Rome/Rome.html

The Gladiators, the Games, the Colosseum
Michelle P.

Let me start by saying that I adore this move. As far as historical accuracy goes I think that for the most part the movie made an attempt to stay along historical lines but it is a big budget Hollywood movie. Thus historical fact is often sacrificed in favor creating an interesting storyline.

Historical Accuracy
As far as staying true to the characters lives,  it was somewhat accurate. Marcus Aurelias was really involved in wars against the Germanic tribes, and I thought the opening battle scenes were an accurate depiction of what warfare in that era was like. Of course the scene in which the emperor chooses the general Maximus is a fabrication, and I have found no evidence to suggest that Commodus murdered Aurelias. It was interesting to note that Maximus is portrayed as a Spaniard and Marcus Aurelias was believed to be Spanish and were adopted by a Roman father. The reproduction of the coliseum was accurate down to the labrythian maze underneath.  Well depicted were the pageantry of the games including the women in the chariot races (which was not at all unusual at the time), wild animals transported into the arena via trap doors, Charon coming out to pick up the dead, the armor of the gladiators accurate, and of course Commodus entering the arena to fight.

The strength of the movie lay in how accurately Ridley Scott showed the gladiator lifestyle--how one can be captured and forced to fight, the gladiator schools,  and how gladiator areas existed in all areas of the Roman empire including Spain and north Africa.

Reasons for the Games
I had always believed as probably many do, that the games consisted of only gladiatorial matches, and people being thrown to the lions, purely for entertainment purposes. It was interesting for me to learn that games served three very distinct purposes in the roman empire: religious, political, and social,  and that they were cornerstones to Roman civilization, not for their gore, but for the cohesiveness they created within the community.

Religious
A major reason for the gladiatorial games was for religious purposes. They have their origins in the funerary masses of the Etruscans, in which two warriors fought over the grave of the dead as a way of honoring them. Since religion played an integral part in Rome, it was only natural that this concept be adopted as well. Chariot racing began as a festival honoring Mars after which the winning horse was sacrificed. The beast hunts were festivals honoring Flora and Ceres.

Political
The games reinforced the power of the empire. They showed human impressions that the bigger the spectacle, the greater the power behind it. The citizens had lost their voice in politics,  but the games gave it back. Citizens could voice their opinions directly to the emperor without fear of retribution. Some elite Romans also believed that the bloodthirsty carnage prevented a populous uprising against them. The most obvious reason for the games was that they provided a quick and simple solution for getting rid of the unwanted, criminals and prisoners, and rebellious Christians and Jews.

Social
The games lasted for seven centuries.  During that time the empire was one of constant bloodshed and turmoil. It is no wonder that their entertainment reflects this unrest. I do not believe that it was just blood lust that drew the masses to the circus day after day. Many of them were primarily bored. Under Augustus, when the largest number of Games occurred, there was very little warfare, and the games reminded them of what battle was like. The beast hunts reinforced the belief in the power of man over nature, reinforcing the idea that Romans were the mightiest of men. The bouts of the gladiators reinforced the virtues of stoicism and courage.

What did the Games Accomplish?
I believe the games reinforced the cohesiveness of the empire - everyone was brought together to witness the glory that was Rome. The Games are often looked down upon as just bloody carnage, but their allure is still prevalent in our society. In our football games, bloody soccer matches, boxing, our baseball players who attack the crowd, and of course on TV in the form of talk shows in which participants are picked apart by a screaming, yelling mob.

Gladiator:  History or Fact
Kristin D.

Hollywood's recent release of the film Gladiator is portrayed to revolve around a true historical story yet is really a fictional tale with a few pieces of truth thrown in for substance. Movies are made to appeal to the masses and the true story is less dramatic than the tale of feuding between evil emperor and a wrongly accused general.

The Beginning: Death

The movie begins with the murder of Marcus Aurelius by the hands of his jealous son Commodus. Marcus had informed his son he had chosen General Maximus Meridius to be his successor and this threw his son into a rage. Determined to be crowned emperor, the movie shows Commodus strangling his father then accusing Maximus of the murder. Maximus flees, only to be captured and sold into "gladiator training school."

The death of Marcus Aurelius is the first pivotal fictional event shown in the movie. Marcus Aurelius died from the plague in Vindobona in March of 180. He had chosen Commodus as his successor, which is said to be the curse of Rome. There was no opposition in his choice of successors. Although he did not have a large role in the movie, Marcus Aurelius was portrayed as a hero to many. His name was mentioned in scenes of loyalty and ones who were his friends and served him, were shown a certain sense of trust and honor. This in fact is true of the real Aurelius. History states that he was a wise man with a great heart and compassion. Many of his writings are still studied today.

The murder of Aurelius is not the only fiction death in the movie. In reality, Commodus was strangled while taking a bath. Although his death was delivered by Narcissus, a gladiator whom he had battled, it was far from the coliseum setting the movie portrays. Initially, the character of Maximus was named Narcissus but that changed before the release to the big screen.

Let the games begin!

The Roman games consisted of three different themes; gladiatorial combat, execution of prisoners and beast shows, and comprised about 200 days out of the year. It is evident from watching the Gladiator movie that the games were not just for entertainment. They were a fundamental aspect of daily life that provided an avenue for both social and political gains. The point of the games seemingly lies around amusement value. More importantly, underlying this, is the political (and social) control the games dictates. Let alone the distraction it provides from less desirable events.

The better the game, the more people enjoy themselves. Their enjoyment turns into support of the "party" provider. Thus, the arena becomes a political tool with which the emperor (or senate) can use to further their support, win elections and so on. In this aspect, the power was actually in the hands of the people, perhaps our first show of democracy? The people had the power to choose life or death for the gladiator. Their support or opposition dictated the future of the gladiator in question. This was the same for the emperor, making the games an integral part of roman life..

Commodus utilized the games for his personal gain and entered the arena under the guise of Hercules the Hunter. Some say he was a mad man, but perhaps he was a genius who knew he lacked the support of his people and was attempting to gain so in the stadium. Regardless of the reason, he did not die in the arena while all his empire watched - as the movie portrayed. I cannot conceive that such a powerful figure would let himself be murdered in that fashion. The emperor, as well as the people, had the ability to stop the game and would have done so in the face of death. Although the support of the crowd rested largely on the gladiator's bravery in the face of death, I do not believe an emperor as vain as Commodus would have allowed himself to lose his kingdom (in death) if he had the power to stop it.

In Retrospect

In reality, I think the movie was lacking in its portrayal of that time period in Rome. It was void of color and deficient in the grandeur that accompanied the gladiator events. These events were revered holidays, which as most holidays, should be portrayed as such. Instead, the movie showed the games as more of a once in awhile family outing. The movie was accurate in its reflection of the class distinction in the stadium and the separate throne for the emperor. The weaponry used may be similar to the weapons of that era, since much emphasis was placed on the sharpness of blades and thickness of spears. Overall I think the movie placed the games in more of a heroic type of event while the reality is miles away from that. The games were brutal and barbaric and most of the warriors were forced to take part. The gladiators were fighting for their freedom and were, for the most part, the emperor's way of disposing of war prisoners. The fact that it held entertainment value was just an added bonus. In retrospect, at least these victims were given the chance for freedom, which was not the case for many slaves throughout history.

Entertainment!
BreAnn K.

Introduction:

I found the movie Gladiator entertaining. As I sat and watched, it drew me into that time in history. I felt as if I was one of the people in the movie as various characters, the spectator and the gladiator. I hoped to see a good fight scene and the victory of the gladiators. I feel that they portrayed the gladiator fights as if they were real fights from the time period. They used vicious animals and out numbered the gladiators with skilled men on chariots.

Facts Left Out of the Movie:

The movie did not include women in the games. Maybe the writers did not believe that a movie audience today could handle seeing women being butchered to death by other people and vicious animals. I do not blame them for leaving this out of the movie. Plus the movie was mainly about Maximus, his struggle and the few gladiator men that he was brought to Rome with.

Facts in the Movie:

In the movie at the games when Maximus hoped that the people would rise up against Caesar they would not. They were very much diverted by the games and did not care too much as to what was happening to their great Empire. Caesar was breaking down what his father had fought so hard to build up. The games served political purposes of holding the people in their place. Since they spent so much of their time discussing the games even away from the amphitheaters they did not think much about the government and the way it was working. The Emperors saw the games as a way to keep the idle masses from rebelling; they were always too preoccupied to rebel. Even when Caesar and Maximus were on the floor, about to fight the spectators wanted a bloody battle and didn't seem to care if Caesar died. Then again they liked and respected Maximus, which you can't exactly say about Caesar.

The games also served social purposes. They kept the people happy and as one community. They had criminals, slaves and volunteers be the gladiators. In most cases all they needed were some cheap or free men to be killed for sport. Criminals and slaves were usually looked down upon and so it was easy to want to see them be killed in a gruesome way. They had volunteers for the reason that if you killed the opposition and lived you would gain popularity and patronage with the wealthy. These volunteers trained for combat in special gladiator schools.

They had in the movie that the gladiators learned and most of the time died in their first game. This death and carnage drew a huge crowd though. The bloodier the battles the better. The crowds always cheered for more. The battles had to be good enough to hold your attention. The games would last from dawn till dusk. The games would not just include battles between men but also have wild animals fighting gladiators and even wild animals fighting other wild animals.

Historical Times:

During the times when the amphitheaters were being built they would take up most of the resources of that city. It was an important part of the culture throughout the Roman Empire. Many cities had amphitheaters. The most famous one was the Flavian amphitheater, called the Colosseum. It was located in Rome. It could seat 50,000 spectators. Each province usually had at least one amphitheater. In Tunisia there was more than 20. They were not always as big as the Colosseum. They would hold from anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands. Considerable resources were used in the building of one amphitheater. They were intricate so that they could maneuver vicious animals onto the floor and have men come up out of the ground. In most cities the amphitheater was the largest building along with the circuses which held races and the public baths.

Reasons:

Not only for the political and social reasons were the games useful but also to brainwash the people into thinking that death, especially brutal death was ok and acceptable for all people. This made it easier to ravishly kill a person on the street. I feel that the reason why the spectators liked the games so much was that you could bet on them and that some of the time the gladiator who was doomed to die on the amphitheater floor didn't. That one person made it exciting and you would want to come to the next one to see if he could live once again.

An Enjoyable Social Forum?
Mike M.

After viewing the film I researched the text and websites and found that there were parts of the movie that were both factual and fictional. From a factual standpoint, the movie was rife with assorted details. A few characters were based on actual people such as Commodus and Marcus Aurelius. The colosseum, the senate structure, and Roman garb were all done in true fashion. The portrayal of the outside provinces in Africa where the gladiators were trained also seemed to be an actual portrayal of how life was in that region of the Roman empire. The battle scenes during the opening sequence were not just graphic, but undoubtedly a pretty true indication of the violent battles that the Romans forced the conquered into.

From a fictional standpoint, some of the characters that were portrayed in the film were loosely based on people that lived during the time of the gladiator games. The gladiator, Maximus, most likely would not have been placed in a position of fighting as he was because of his stature in the military. Also, I believe that the gesture used to bring death upon an opponent during the match was not thumbs down, but thumbs up. Furthermore, most of the matches were fought one to one, whereas scenes in the movie portrayed multiple opponents. As for Commodus killing his father, that did not happen.

I believe that this movie certainly portrays the Roman Empire accurately. From the styles to the substance the movie goes to great lengths to accurately portray the Empire. As previously stated, there a few minor details that were fabricated for cinematic sake, but the overall theme is truly Roman Empire. From the slaves to the aristocrats to the conquerors to the conquered, it is all in Gladiator.

I feel that the reasons for the games were simply to provide the Roman citizens with an outlet for entertainment. Thousands of people gathered on any given day to watch the carnage unfold before their eyes. This was a place for the citizens to gather and socialize, and if men and innocent animals would die in the process than that would be make for a more enriching experience. From the government standpoint I believe that they felt that whatever uncertainty the citizens had about the government and its policies could be squelched through the consistent games that they provided for the masses. The hope of the government was to teach the Romans how to fight through the gladiators while displaying strength and courage. Also, the brutal nature of the events resonated a feeling of power throughout the colosseum that could not be denied.

The truth of the matter is that the spectacles caused the death and destruction of thousands of men, women, and animals. Of course, it was all for entertainment sake, but unfortunately the Romans could not find a way to develop a more civilized form of event like the Olympics. Although brutal as they were, the spectacles accomplished a social forum for the citizens to enjoy. In any society is imperative to have social gathering places for the masses to congregate. In the early years AD, the Colosseum was the place to be, until the abolishment of the spectacles in 404.

Factual and "Fictual"
Andrea K.

Early Days

From an obscure beginning, Rome grew into a vast empire stretching from Britain to the Persian Gulf and ruling eighty million subjects. By subduing and conquering first the states of the Italian peninsula then the rest of the Mediterranean and beyond Rome grew in size and power. None of these gains would have been possible without the Roman Legions; the best equipped, trained and disciplined fighting force the world had yet seen. The empire would be held and successfully defended for many centuries by the Roman legions. Corruption, civil unrest, and barbarian invaders would force this great civilization to relocate its capital and with it the heart of the empire to Constantinople. The glory that was Rome lived on as the foundation for this new seat of power.

The Plot Thickens
Many aspects of the movie, Gladiator, were both factual and fictual. In the beginning of the movie when the narrative was given as to what was going on the first scene, it stated that the time was 180 AD and the current emperor was Marcus Aurelius. This is quite true. A Caesar, Marcus Aurelius was emperor from 161 AD ­ 180 AD in Rome, and he did have a campaign waged against/in Germania—the barbarians as they called them. However, the death of Marcus Aurelius was not by assassination as the movie depicted, but instead he died of natural causes. His heir to throne was in fact his son, Commodus, as the movie showed and there was no indication that Marcus Aurelius intended to hand over his throne to any other.

The Roman legion depicted in the movie was true to fact. The core of the Roman legion consisted of heavily armored infantry. Disciplined and well trained these soldiers fought in closed ranks. At every level the men of a legion fought together toward ultimate victory. In contrast, most of the armies Rome faced were warrior based where each man fought for personal glory. This combination of superior organization and disciplined armored infantry gave the Romans a tremendous advantage in battle.

One of the most poignant figures in Roman society was that of the gladiator. Adopted from the earlier Etruscans, perhaps by way of Campania, gladiatorial combats originated in the rites of sacrifice (munera) due the spirits of the dead and the need for atonement with offerings of blood. They were introduced to Rome in 264 BC, when the sons of Junius Brutus honored their father by matching three pairs of gladiators. Traditionally, the munera were the obligatory offerings owed to important men at their death, but they did not have to be presented then. If, as Tertullian criticizes in De Spectaculis, the munera originally offered "comfort for death in murder," the ritual eventually lost much of its religious significance. During the Republic, such rites had been privately financed by the family, whose duty it was to present them. But, as the aristocratic funeral became an increasingly political act, in which the living demonstrated their wealth, celebrated their victories, enhanced their own reputations, and advanced their careers, gladiatorial matches became the province of the emperors, who presented them as enactments of their own power and prestige. By the end of the second century AD, Tertullian could observe that "this class of public entertainment has passed from being a compliment to the dead to being a compliment to the living." In this aspect, the movie seemed to show the power that these matches in the arena gave to politics in accordance with the emperor and the senate.

The character Maximus' (Russell Crowe) story plot seemed similar, but not entirely like that of Spartacus, a deserter from the Roman army who had been captured and sold as a slave to a gladiatorial school in Capua. Spartacus built up an army of fugitive slaves and freedmen of about 70,000 and led them against Roman legions on his way down south in Italy to Rome. Eventually he and his army were trapped and defeated on their way to Sicily. The State wanted no more slave revolts so they assumed greater control of public games, and large numbers of gladiators continued to be trained in imperial schools. Under the tutelage of a manager, a troupe of gladiators could be sold or hired out, and many were retained privately by politicians and wealthy citizens as bodyguards, especially in times of civil unrest. Most gladiators were prisoners of war, slaves bought for the purpose, or criminals sentenced to serve in he schools. At times, even senators and emperors joined in the games and tried their luck in the arena. Commodus (AD 180-192) enthusiastically participated as a gladiator (against Maximus in the movie resulting in his own death).

Originally, captured soldiers had been made to fight with their own weapons and in their particular style of combat. It was from these conscripted prisoners of war that the gladiators acquired their exotic appearance (a distinction being made between the weapons imagined to be used by defeated enemies and those of their Roman conquerors), and, originally, one could speak of their fighting in the style of Gaul, Thrace, or Samnium. There were even more exotic types (as in the movie): the essedarii, who fought from war chariots in the fashion of the British Celts and probably were introduced by Julius Caesar after his invasion of that island; the equites, who fought on horseback; the velites, whose spear was attached to a thong by which it could be retrieved; the laquearii, who used a lasso; the sagittarii, who fought with bow and arrow; the dimachaeri, who used two swords; the ominously named scissores (carvers) and provocatores (challengers), and others still about which little is known.

It was important that these different types of gladiators be appropriately paired, the advantage of one being compensated for by the strength of the other. There could be no valor in defeating a weaker opponent. Gladiators were to be evenly matched but not identically so. Each type had its own particular weapons, strategies, and skills, and only by comparison could they be demonstrated. Gladiators who were similarly armed, therefore, rarely competed against one another. However, in the movie, this wasn't so—Emperor Commodus pitted the ground gladiators against the essedarii, sagittarii, and dimachaeri. When a man went down, cries of Hoc, Habet Hoc! (He's had it!), and shouts of Mitte! (Let him go!) or Iugula! (Kill him!) could be heard. If able, the wounded gladiator would lay down his shield and raise his left hand to plea for mercy, which the crowd signified either by extending their thumbs up or down; turning the thumb upwards and jabbing it toward the heart also was a sign of disapproval. Pressing the thumb and forefinger together indicated approval although in the movie, approval was indicated by pointing the thumb up. As patron of the games and the most conspicuous member there, it was the emperor who made the final decision, although it often was politic to heed the crowd. Indeed, he was expected to attend the amphitheater, where, in collective anonymity, the crowd could demonstrate its wishes. The movie depicted all of this well except the crowd cried out in English instead of Latin.

A Quick Assessment
Overall, in general, the movie, Gladiator, depicted well the many aspects of Roman life in that day and age. From the time setting to Emperor Marcus Aurelius to his successor, his son, Commodus, to depicting the Senate and the political power they had, the Colosseum and the power the crowd had with the gladiator's life. There were few fictional mistakes, but none that were drastic enough to merit mention in my conclusion again since I have done so in my main body. Many of the supporting characters (as was Maximus' character) were fictional, but lent good support and foundations to the movie in general.

An Awesome Movie
Ansom L.

INTRODUCTION

The gladiator games in Rome and other games around the Empire were an interesting phenomenon. Slaves from many other countries were brought in to the arena and told to fight just for the crowd's pleasure of them. Criminals and wild beasts were slaughtered in unbelievable numbers, and fought to the death. The games were free and the cost of the games was so great, the government could not afford to pay for it. The resources that were used in production of the games were so enormous, one even have to ask why?

GLADIATOR, WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS NOT?

The movie of Gladiator was a vivid description of how one's life in the battlefield of coliseum. The situation took place during the last era of Rome Empire during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the last of five good emperors. Ido not think that the story of the brave general, Maximus even existed (I am not sure), and also the plot of the whole story seemed to be fiction.  However I have to admit it was an awesome movie. I did not even care if the whole thing was fiction. Even though the whole plot was almost fiction, the situation of the life being a gladiator seemed to be real.

People who were gladiators had tough lives.  They fought and fought and fought from one place to another, not only just to survive but also to gain popularity which one day they could buy a freedom. The Coliseum at that time was exactly the way it was pictured in the movie Gladiator.  It was a big open dome building, built with a nice design of architecture.  It was probably true that lives of slaves were not worth anything. In the movie they showed blood and gore everywhere.  People got stabbed, slashed, or even got their heads chopped off their body, and the audiences seemed not to have anything against these cruelties.  They even cheered louder and louder when their favorite gladiators won the day.  Even that, they gambled to gain fortunes by betting on which gladiators that were predicted to win.

Overall, Gladiator, the movie has shown many things that I did not even realize before. The blood and gore, the drama behind the stage of people who set "things," and even the audience which seemed to enjoy all the killings and the brutalities against their own race. I guess they did not even realize what they see.

WHY GAMES?

One very important factor to consider is the political effect the games had. I guess when the stadium which had a capacity of thousands, or may I say hundreds thousands of people was filled up, the support among the citizen sfor the leader evidently can be seen. The coliseum represented a significant number of people of the entire empire. Although the games were free, the games were absolutely lacking in morality moral and did not last very long. The Coliseum itself took much of the government's resources.  Gladiatorial games were held in pursuit of a political goal rather than for a simple means of pleasure. Political leaders used these ways because they have been proven to be successful. Up until now, although we do not have such games anymore, many political leaders still usethe same concept to gain what they want. At the end, people became bored of the games.

CONCLUSION OF THE MOVIE OF GLADIATOR AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

What was the purpose of the Gladiatorial game itself? Based on the movie of Gladiator, the games were held because as the new emperor, Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius faced a conflict with the senate in the court, the senate did not believe in his ability to govern the land, and also Commodus wanted to gain popularity as a new emperor of Rome.

So as a ruthless emperor, Commodus found a way to gain the popularity and proved himself to be an able leader of Rome by opening again the games of Gladiator. The game proved successful at first:  crowds filled up the open amphitheatre watching the blood and gore, with humans screaming being slashed, stabbed by weapons. Towards the end, people started to get bored and Commodus failed to gain his popularity this way. We do not know if he was assassinated in a duel as the movie shows, or while he was alone.  All we know that Commodus was a bad king and a tyrant.

Gladiatorial games accomplished many things in the Roman society and our lives. First, it wakes us up from the brutality of human kinds. People do whatever it takes to gain what they wish. Many gladiators who fought in the arena against other gladiators were not enemies; they did not have anything against one another. The only reason that forced them to fight was, if they did not, they would die. They fought as hard as they could in order to survive and to buy their freedom at the end. Second, the purpose of the game itself was to strengthen the state. Imagine by building a large amphitheatre and giving an entertainment for the citizens of Rome  that  was FREE!  People would support anyone who could do that.  However, the bad side was it took away much of the government's resources.  That was why the gladiatorial game was not successful, not only in the matter of high cost, but also in the manner of immorality.

Keep The People Busy
Penguin R.

I saw this movie and thought it was fantastic. I thought the architecture in Rome was well done also. The first thing that I noticed that was fiction is near the beginning of the movie, after the battle, when Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells Maximus that he wants Maximus to be his successor when he dies. He tells his son Commodus that he will not be Emperor after all but that Maximus will. This never happened.  Emperor Marcus Aurelius named Commodus as his successor when Commodus was just twelve years old. Emperor Marcus Aurelius never changed his mind on this either. Secondly, Emperor Commodus died at the hands of the Praetorian Guards and not by a Gladiator.

I believe there were two reasons for the games, coliseums, and such. The first reason was to distract the people (mob), and thus keeping them from turning on the government. The government thought that if it kept the people busy, they would not have time to become an angry mob. The other reason is that it made the people (mob) feel as though they had some power, in that of the vote for the lives of contestants. One other reason that they may have been held was because they had become traditional.

The Entertainment of the Time
Nancy J.

THE GLADIATORS
What were gladiators? Gladiators were come from the Latin word, which means swordsman. First introduced in Rome in 264 BC by the sons of Junius Brutus in their father's death ritual ceremony. Gladiators were intended to insure that the death would be accompanied by the armed attendance and the spirit of the death would be appeassed with offering the blood. It was a religious ceremony, but later on the Gladiators lost their ritual meaning and became part of the Romans live as an entertainment. Gladiators were held in a big amphitheatre and the most famous amphitheatre was Flavian and later on we called it colesseum. It was built in the Vespasian Empire and his son, Titus. The colosseum could take 50,000 spectators.

WHAT DID THEY GET FROM GAMES AND WHAT DID CAUSE THE GAMES?
Gladiators were not only an entertainment, but also political and social function. Government diverted the idle masses of political unrest. As Romanians, they should not think more about their political situation. Government spent a lot of money in this games and it made people think that this would be an interesting and sophisticated activities.

In these games, the spectators would see a lot of bloods everywhere and it helped them in the political war later on because they were not afraid of bloodshed anymore. They saw it in their daily lives. As the individual, they could win the slave and use him as an entertainment, especially rich people. They bet in this games and if they won in this games, they celebrated their victories, promoted their reputation and showed their wealthy. Even when Emperor joined this game, he presented his power. Individuals could show of their properties in these games.

WHO WERE GLADIATORS?
Most of the gladiators were slaves, condemned criminals or prisoner that specially trained for gladiators. The slaves did not have their rights at that time and they should do what their masters wnated them to do. Besides those kinds of people, we also had free mwn who joined these games with the purpose of popularity and patronage by the rich people.

Gladiators were games either between human beings and human beings, wild beasts and human beings, or wild beasts and wild beasts. They did it until one of them died and this was the most slaughtering games ever.

WHY CIVILIZED PEOPLE CREATED AND PROMOTED THESE EVENTS
People at that time knew with what they meant by 'out of date.' This was the most popular games at that times. Nobody wanted to miss it, right? Neither did civilized people. They participated in these games and had fun of it. Moreover, at that period of time, we did not have any entertainment such nintendo, playstation or disneyland. The games were the only entertainment at that time. Most of people joined the games and thought what they should do to their slaves in order to win the games. A lot of people enjoyed the games at that time.

CONCLUSION
The gladiator spectacle was widespread and extremely popular, although many might disagree with the games. And Gladiators had become part of the lives of Roman society.

Gladiator as Representative of Empire
Omar N.

The Gladiator is a great example of of the Roman Empire. Although the characters may not be real, this movie portrays how the Romans seeked for glory and what they enjoyed as entertainment. The movie also shows the government in Rome. This movie is very similar to the real Rome because Rome was always expanding. In the begining of the Gladiator , a war is going on with Rome and the people .Maximus ( the great general ) is conquering to exand the Empire. This scene brings to mind Alexander the Great.  Maximus was well respected by his soldiers and expanded the country for Caesar.

Before in Ancient Rome the games were the sports for the people and were the greatest source of entertainment. To us now we have football, hockey and wrestling that keep our eyes glued to the television to capture each explosive shot. The Colosseum was the ultimate gathering place for the greatest game in the world. Unfortunate for Ancient Rome, TV has not beeen invented.  Therefore the only way to watch the games was to be there live. Also to be there at the colosseum was intense to participate in the yelling and cheers for every blow landed and to see who would reign in victory.

Romans had a very cultivated ature. But underneath a peaceful man lurks a blood hungry creature who enjoys a little bit of gore and inhumanity. I remember in high school when a fight was going to occur. I could see half the school run to the scene of the battle. Not only were the contenders' friends at the scene but so was the whole school. At the scene of a car acccident, what causes more traffic is the passersby who try to see is the person dead or how big was the collision. I think psychologically, many  people want to be in a huge clash but not neccessarily participate.

The goverment allowed the games to continue due to the glory they would receive for bringing the games to them. The Romans were very intelligent but at the same time they are very easily amused. In the movie the emperor was being praised for just bringing the game.  The people did not seem to care if he met his other more important responsibilities.   The movie did capture the time of Rome in very good detail. It showed how the people act and how blood and gore is one their greatest passtimes.

Hollywood's Gladiator vs. Factual Life
Greg S.

I was amazed by the movie Gladiator because of the rich history it brought forth to its viewers. Commodus did not kill his father Marcus Aurelius in real life as he did in the movie. Commodus was however a cruel man who was known to have slept with many family members. There was no Maximus in real life, but there were many gladiators who fought for their freedom during this time in history. There were lions, tigers and bears but also there were many other exotic animals such as buffalo and ostriches that were brought into the coliseum for fighting purposes. Many men were wounded, but not so many were killed as were portrayed in the movie. Most of the gladiators were in fact criminals but some were even women in real life. The fighting went on from dawn to dusk. There was fighting between animals and man, and fighting between animals themselves. Criminals of all ages were sent into the arena. Enormous amounts of money were invested in capturing animals in Rome and far outside. The games went beyond entertainment. The men had a love for praise and victory in their fights.

Violent Entertainment
I feel that the reasoning behind the games was that this was an ancient time of constant fighting for victory of land over other people. The spectators were looking for excitement and were so used to seeing blood and guts that it became a natural sight for them. Just as violence on TV is consumed by a child and passes through his mind as no big deal, these spectators saw the blood and gore as an entertainment center. These ancient spectators watched the gladiators just as many Americans watch the WWF, it was pure entertainment. The animals brought in an exotic twist to the show. These gory games served to satisfy the individual and divert them from a political unrest or questioning. These spectacles served to mystify the people so they were not thinking.

The Emperor's Power
Although Maximus was not an actual character that was true to life, he was not a man who led an army, but he did portray a strong gladiator who gathered strength by his audience in defeating his enemy. In ancient times a gladiator would not be fighting seven men at one time and winning. Commodus served as Emperor for twelve years in real life, but in the movie reign seemed much shorter. The people of Rome seemed to look much cleaner than they probably were in real life due to lack of technology. I am sure the coliseum must have reeked of sweat, blood and animals. In real life the Emperor had far less power and there was much more of a distribution of power within the senate, so the Emperor could not get away with so much as he did in the movie.