Gladiator Research Paper

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What were the gladiators? Most people know that gladiators were men who competed in deadly combat. What most people don't know is that gladiators were more than just slaves given a sword and told to fight each other. Gladiators had a different side to their life in which they earned from fighting these deadly battles. This paper will show how the gladiators fought, and how they lived outside the arena. Gladiators lived dangerously because they risked their lives so many times. Most gladiators fought within two categories of style. Heavily armored gladiators were able to withstand many hits from their opponent, but they were slow due to the weight of their armor. Lightly armored gladiators depended on their speed and stamina to fight their opponent. Both styles had their pros and cons, and gladiators had to choose what style fit into their strengths.…show more content…
Each were good in different situations. The gladius is the most well known weapon that the gladiators used. The gladius was a sword designed to not only to be slashed at an opponent, but it was also used like a spear. Famous gladiators like Murmillo used the gladius and a shield when fighting in the arena. There were different types of fights as well. Usually gladiator games had the same order of events. It started with hunting games in which hunters or even empowers shot and killed animals with bows and arrows. Next came the bestiarii. These people were trained to fight against beasts like tigers and lions. Next criminals were sentenced to fight beasts without weapons or armor. Meridiani fought against each other after the criminals. These men were gladiators with less weapons. Before the main gladiator events started executioners and torturers performed their duties in front of the crowd. Finally the gladiators fought. First came the gladiators with blunt weapons such as clubland whips. As the last event heavily armed gladiators fought to the

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