Gladiators

Gladiators

Every age has witnessed different types of games and sports. Some of these sports have lost their existence while others still exist either with some modifications or in their real forms. In the traditional times, there were even some brutal forms of games that had taken their roots from the primitive people. This paper will discuss one such barbaric game known as Gladiators. Though it does not exist to be played anymore in the present times, however, the game has a proper history, its own significance, and its properly formulated rules.

Gladiators

Gladiators were one of the most popular forms of primitive sports. A gladiator refers to a combatant who is armed and was the important part of the game. He provided the entertainment to the audiences in the Roman Empire and Roman Republic in brutal conflicts with wild animals, other gladiators, and condemned criminals. Some of these gladiators volunteered themselves in order to risk their social and legal position and their living through emerging in the sports ground. Most of these volunteers were also the loathed slaves, who were usually trained and taught in a tough environment, and were made socially marginalized, and isolated even in death. Regardless of their foundation, the gladiators were capable of offering the spectators a good example of the martial ethics of Rome. Moreover, through dying or fighting well, they were able to inspire appreciation and accepted commendation. They were the celebrities of the lower and high art, and their significance in the form of entertainers was honored and celebrated in valuable and ordinary bits and pieces all across the Roman world.

The gladiators could be prisoners of war, criminals, convicts, slaves, or free men convicted of no future, they could be novice or a pro, especially prisoners of war who lived after several armed struggles, fights, battles and suffering were particularly tempered and aggressive and often came from distant lands such as Thrace and Germany. These characters were the most sought after and since they had no other chance to live their lives with dignity, they proposed willingly undertook highly dangerous career in the gladiator. Women also fought but they were very rare and therefore also in great demand. The popularity of the gladiator winning was really great, the people praised and followed the fighting and performances with passion and his name became famous. Gladiator played with sword and shield. Gladiators were trained in different techniques of attack or defense with the use of different weapons and depending on the type of weapon and technique that they used were called "Cetervari", "Secutores", "Reziari", "Mirmillones" and" Traces. Struggles were opposed pairs of gladiators always different, more classical ones were among the "Reziari" and "Mirmilloni" and among the "Traci" and "Secutores."

History and Origin

The gladiator who had won his opponent turned to the audience of the 'Amphitheatre to ask the fate of the crowd wanted to reserve the defeated and the crowd, with a hand sign decided for death or for life: the thumb facing' high, "mitte" (except) meant ...