They would usually fight twice a year, so similar to modern-day boxers. Occasionally, the gladiators were able to fight for their freedom and some volunteered to fight including women!įor all aspiring gladiators, there would be a 2-year internship and then they could fight for 5 years after that. Gladiators were usually slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war-the Romans knew that the best way to orchestrate a fight to the death was to use men who have nothing to lose. This was the oath that aspiring Gladiators swore on the day of recruitment and left no doubt as to what could happen to them. I will endure being burned, bound, whipped, and killed with a sword. By the time the Colosseum opened in 80 A.D., gladiator fights had evolved from ad-hoc battles to a serious business. Popularity for the sport increased, and by the end of the first century B.C., government officials started holding public games. The Roman aristocracy thought this bloodthirsty battle gave the funeral a rather lovely sense of occasion, and the idea quickly caught on.īy 174 B.C., it was relatively commonplace to have matches across the city, and the idea was boosted further by Julius Caesar, who engaged hundreds of gladiators to fight in memory of his deceased father and daughter.

The first gladiators fought to the death at the funeral of a distinguished aristocrat Junius Brutus Pera in 264 B.C. His relatives arranged the event to honor his death and provide a blood sacrifice for the gods.

Spartacus ancient rome roman gladiators