Blood Sports

by I.J., B.M., S.C., & A.G.

Entertainment has always played in important part in human history. People go to great lengths to escape their mundane lives. From the plays that Shakespeare wrote in the Elizabethan era to professional sports today, each civilization had its unique way to find enjoyment. Roman citizens, surrounded by a barbaric age filled with violence, found their escape in the form of gladiatorial combat. Chaos reigned in ancient Rome. The blood of the battlefield in territorial conquest was equalled only by the blood spilled as a result of political ambition. The people of the Roman empire found a sport that matched their lives. Gladiatorial combat consisted of armored warriors placed in several different battle situations. This deadly sport thought to be of a relic of the primitive custom of human sacrifice, formed part of the funeral games and must have been "as thrilling as a Spanish bullfight."(Heichelheim & Yeo, 1993, p. 34). The first occurance of gladiator combat began as an Etruscan custom. When a member of the Etruscan aristocracy died, the young men of the village would spar against each other in mock combat during the funeral games. After the Romans conquered the Etruscans, many Etrucian traditions, including the funeral games, were adapted by the Roman people. Funerals for wealthy Romans, soon after the Etruscan conquest, began to include the Etruscan system of mock combat. With the passage of time, the patricians started to enjoy this combat for festivals rather than only for the death of a powerful Roman. The patricians, to increase the excitement at the games, started to use foreign slaves, taken in war to battle to the death. Only during the empire, did the common people have a chance to observe this sport.

Shown is a member
of the opening ceremonies,
drawn by S.C.
Most of these gladitorial battles were fought to the death unless the life of the losing gladiator was spared by the vote of the audience. Thumbs up meant death for the loser, while a thumbs down granted a reprieve. Unfortunately, for the vanquished combatants, this reprieve rarely came.

Some gladiators enjoyed a good life, and a few even reached celebrity status. However most met an untimely end after,"Years of grueling practice and inhumane conditions in the gladiatorial schools."(Keegan, 1993, p. 288). These unfortunate warriors were slaves taken in Roman conquest, who fit the criteria for a gladiator,"which was a strong body and fighting spirit."(Adkins & Adkins,1994, p. 236) These were shipped off to the gladitorial schools where," ...the vast majority were either prisoners of war, or criminals."(Watkins,1973, p.34). In Roman campaigns of foreign conquest, prisoners taken in battle or from plundered cities, were shipped to the Italian peninsula to attend the gladiator schools. Criminals convicted of a crime could be sentenced to entertain the crowds in an ampitheater, participating in this possibly deadly sport. Emperors took advantage of the horrible situation these gladiators found themselves in to gain the support of the populous through full exhibitions of the gladiators skill. These performances took place in the huge amphitheaters the Romans built all over the Mediterranean.

drawing by I. J.
The best type of building for viewing gladiatorial combat was the Amphitheater, which was oval in shape with a central fighting area surrounded by concentric rows of seats. The word amphitheater in Greek means a theater with seats on all sides.
A picture of a typical Gladitorial arena,
drawn by B.M.
The central fighting area, which was called the arena, was covered with sand because it soaked up the blood and was easily changed. For sea battles, the arena was flooded. The most glorious amphitheater of all was the Amphitheater Flavium, named after emperor Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus. Its more common name is the Coliseum because of its colossal size. Its outer dimensions were 613 feet by 508 feet. The arena itself measured 282 feet by 177 feet. "The coliseum could seat 45,000 spectators on its marble benches and another 5,000 could stand on the top tier."(Heichelheim & Yeo, 1993, p. 46) Seating was divided between the social classes. In the seats closest to the arena in front, sat the emperor, senators, priests, and ambassadors. Above this first level, the podium, were the patricians. On the next level, sat the ordinary Roman citizens. Finally, the highest tier was left to foreigners, the poor, and the slaves. At the very top edge at the outside wall were 240 tall wooden masts that supported a vast canvas awning called the Velarium which shaded the entire amphitheater. Underneath the floor, was a complex network of chambers and tunnels to accommodate a variety of special effects. "During the events, animals and props were magically rised from under the arena." (Clark, 1969, p. 52). Whole sections of the floor could be lowered, set with elaborate props or scenery, then raised to provide a backdrop to the hunts. In these sub-terranean cabins, were an armory, a first-aid station, and a morgue to receive the dead. There was also a system of tunnels that led out into the city warehouses, toward cages of animals, and to the gladiatorial schools. Romans used their amphitheaters to make the blood sports as realistic as possible for their many types of combatants.

Seen from left to right are a Samnite, Retiarius, Thracian, and Secutor.
Drawings were done by I.J.
With the passage of time, came change to all things including the bloody games of gladiators. As gladiatorial combat became more common, their weapons and armor became more specialized. "These specialized forms evolved into several basic classifications of gladiator, who would spar against one another."(Bunson, 1994, p. 78) The earliest gladiators, called the Samnite, after the people of Samnium, who were enemies of Rome, were heavily armored warriors wearing a visored helmet with a high crest decorated with feathers, and leather bands around their arms and left legs. To round off this impenetrable fortress, was a large rectangular shield. For attack, they carried a straight sword called a gladius, from which the term gladiator was derived. The Thracian, was a lightly armored gladiator carrying a small round shield and a curved sword called a Sica. For protection they wore a large helmet and leg guards. The Retiarius, fought with a three-pronged fishing spear, called a trident, and used a net to ensnare their opponents. After which they skewered their opponet with a quick thrust from the trident. "Unlike other gladiators, the Retiarius, wore almost no armor, only a guard on his left arm." (Asimov, 1966, p. 73). Thus enabled him to move quite quickly as opposed to his heavily armored adversaries. This advantage could soon become a weakness though if the Ritarius was struck by the weapon of his opponent. The Secutor, or chaser, got his name from his fighting technique, which was to chase an opponent around the arena until he became fatigued. They wore a rounded helmet, protective leather strips on their right arm, and a large shield. A short sword, or dagger, was used to finish off their enemy. The differences between combatants added to the enjoyment to the spectators who thrilled at the sight of variety. Especially when their favorite type of combatant was placed in their favorite type of combat.

The most common form of encounter was a simple duel between two gladiators. Yet, to keep the masses content meant interesting twists were used with this elementary idea. One was to simply increase the scope of the engagement. Instead of having a small skirmish between two gladiators, spectators witnessed, "An all out battle with hundreds of combatants."(Grant, 1940, p. 53) This idea became even more complex when the organizers started having gladiators lay siege to structures erected in the amphitheater. "Observers also enjoyed a strange rendition of the two man duel; except this time, it was set on a plank six feet off the ground, and possessing a width of only 2 feet."(Gibbon, 1952, p.25). On this board, two gladiators stood back to back, one armed only with a short sword, the other having only a trident, and neither one with any armor for protection. They then faced fully armed gladiators who charged up two ramps placed at either end of the plank. Whoever survived this dance with death had only another onslaught as his reward.

By far, the most impressive of the battles were the naval conflicts. "The amphitheater was flooded to allow triremes and quadriremes manned by a crew of oarsmen and gladiators, to engage in full fledged sea combat."(Robert, 1993, p. 142). All the unique ways the Romans imagined to bring a gladiator to his death greatly increased their pleasure of the event.

This bloody sport gave to the Roman people entertainment to go with their lives. An entertainment that reflected the world around them. A world of blood and chaos in which they delved into in order to escape. These gladiators paid a high price for another's enjoyment. A price mankind has at more times than one been willing to pay.

For more information check these sources

REFERENCES

This webpage was written by I.J., B.M., S.C., & A.G.on 5/29/98, for History & Thought of Western Man, Rich East High School.

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