The Gladiator Games Jeffrey Castro - 1175 Words

Research Paper- The Gladiator Games Jeffrey Castro When you think about the Roman Empire and their culture, it is hard to not think about the gladiator games. To the romans, the gladiator games were more than just a sport. They were a huge part of their history and culture. In our modern times, there are many misconceptions about the gladiator games and the gladiators themselves. The gladiators are often thought of as either slaves being forced to fight to the death or as blood-crazed barbarians who just want to kill people. Hollywood and other unreliable sources can be blamed for portraying the gladiators to be as such, when in reality, the gladiators were mostly highly trained warriors, who fought with honor, and did not always†¦show more content†¦As the games started growing in fame in popularity they had to increase the space of where they would fight into larger and more permanent locations. This marked the beginning of construction of various arenas and amphitheaters. The arenas were huge, some holding up to 20,000 p eople. The biggest and most famous of the building built for the gladiators is the Coliseum. The Coliseum would hold anywhere from 40,000 to 60000 attendants, trumping the 20000 seat amphitheaters. It was also made out of stone other than wood which made it more durable compared to other amphitheaters. The Coliseum still stands in Rome and is one of the main attractions of the city, showing what a big impact the gladiators had on roman history. Not all of the gladiators were slaves or criminals. When the games first originated, most of the combatants were indeed slaves and criminals but the demographic started changing towards the beginning of 1st century AD. At the end of the republic, around 27 BC, freed men constituted for about half of the number of gladiators. There is even evidence that supports that there were even female gladiators. The women that participated were mostly high class women who did it for attention, excitement and the trills that gladiatorial combat has to offer. The gladiators would become celebrities and sex symbols to the lower class romans to the point that kids played with clay action figures of them and they would even be in endorsements like modern day