Gladiatorial Fights In Ancient Rome

1403 Words6 Pages
In the Roman Empire, sensational and bloody spectacles have been used to consolidate the power of the Emperor. Some of the most famous spectacles were: gladiatorial fights, animal fights, naval battles, and public executions, and all of these have made Emperors loved and respected, gave them prestige, and made them well known throughout history. The most famous bloody spectacle throughout Roman history was gladiatorial fights. The gladiatorial games started in Rome over 300 years before the Roman Colosseum was built and they began to increase from a small number of participants to the massive numbers of gladiators seen in the spectacles of Roman arenas and the Colosseum (Gladiator History). The very first gladiatorial fight recorded was staged…show more content…
Three pairs of slaves were selected from among twenty-two prisoners and were chosen to fight at the funeral. The fight took place in the Forum Boarium, which was a cattle market in Rome. The first gladiatorial fight was a clever idea that was still carried on as a tradition and entertainment as it also brought prestige to their family’s name. Gladiators started off as just being slaves, criminals, and prisoners, but then later developed into being anyone who was brave enough to fight such as: freed men, professionals, or even female gladiators. Prizes such as money were given out to anyone who wanted to join and if they won then they got to keep their prize, but to sign up you would have to sign a contract stating that you would accept beatings, burning, or death and if you decided to back down after you signed the contract, then you would be executed. Poorer people would sign up to fight in the hope that they would win to be able to provide for their families. Even the Emperor at the time could participate in the games if they wanted to, such as Emperor Commodus, who loved to fight in the games and wished that his scores were recorded for future generations to witness. Although it was impossible to kill an Emperor because if he was armed, then you were given wooden tools

More about Gladiatorial Fights In Ancient Rome

Open Document