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Gladiators

Gladiators. Blood Sport in the Roman Empire. Tacitus on the gladiator. “You could easily think that the city was running wild with insane rage and unharnessed pleasure.” A quote from Tacitus’ Histories about the city in Vespacian’s time. Disgust and Delight.

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Gladiators

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  1. Gladiators Blood Sport in the Roman Empire

  2. Tacitus on the gladiator • “You could easily think that the city was running wild with insane rage and unharnessed pleasure.” • A quote from Tacitus’ Histories about the city in Vespacian’s time

  3. Disgust and Delight • Upper class sponsors gladiators and paints pictures of them in murals in their homes, but claims to hate the combat in public • Roman senate declares that people who fight in gladitorial combat could lose their high status . . . Yet they had mock-fights themselves

  4. The Rules According to Claudius • If a gladiator fell down (even if by accident), he had to be killed, so that the emperor could see his face as he died.

  5. Animals and Combat • Animal fights grew more popular as the empire expanded and access to exotic animals from conquered provinces grew • Emperor appears more powerful if he can bring animal fights to the people • Animals are chained together to fight

  6. Myth and Gladiators • Orpheus fights, but does not sing • Man who stole an apple = Hercules • Enemies of Jupiter represented by disabled fighters

  7. Why did Romans admire them? • Not in Roman society, but still were famous • Courageous fighters • Got praise and were popular heroes

  8. When the upper class plays gladiator . . . • Fight prostitutes dressed up as animals • Fight tame animals that would not really hurt them • Engage in mock arena fights in private

  9. Fight to the death • An *intentional* fight to the death was more rare than you might think • Gladiators would often fight until surrender or injury • Often fought with dull weapons • Crowd could demand that the fight stop

  10. Explaining death • Gladiators control their fate on their funeral monuments • Say they were victims of Nemesis (revenge) • Opponent cheated • Never appear in death to be the victim of the crowd or killed on a whim

  11. All good things come to an end • Constantine publically declares his hatred for gladiatorial combat, but does not stop it • His son, Constantius II, prevents members of the imperial guard from fighting • By the 4th century, emperors no longer act as sponsors • The result is a decline in gladiatorial combat

  12. Conclusions • This is a public spectacle • The Romans equated this experience with going to the theater • For the gladiator, however, this was a chance to overturn the social order of things and receive fame and fortune

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