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Roman Gladiator Research Paper

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The ancient Romans are one of the greatest civilizations to walk this earth and are known for so many things, including what they brought to the world; the gladiatorial games and its gladiators. The gladiatorial games were one of the rawest forms of entertainment, it was and still is unlike anything seen before. The gladiatorial games consisted of fierce fights between gladiators, gladiators and wild animals, and criminals all of which was performed live in front of a crowd, much like any other sport. These games persisted for almost a thousand years, reaching its all time high between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD and finally declining during the 5th century. The Gladiatorial games was a spectacle like no other, a purely uncensored …show more content…

Most gladiators were prisoners of war from areas that the Romans had conquered and, “… fought in public perhaps only four or five times yearly.” (McBeath). These captured soldiers were represented stereotypically in the arena with weapons and garment of Roman enemies. Not all though where captured soldiers, spme infact were pervious slaves and even lower class Roman citizens, these lower-class citizens would give up their rights as citizens and be given, “regular meals, shelter, and medical care.” (MacBeath). The poor citizens felt that opportunities, though as brutal and merciless as it was, of becoming/being a gladiator outweighed those of living in poverty. As in any sport or competition there where the professionals, the gladiators who consistently won fights and entertained the crowd, and these successful figures, “gained mass public adulation, along with the lifestyle perks and privileges such status brings” (MacBeath). It was not just wealth and fame that the gladiators could obtain due to their success; gladiators could be gifted their freedom, however not considered actual citizens. The life of a gladiator was brutal, many came from defeated enemy armies some were slaves, and Roman lower-class citizens; yet some were celebrities of their times and some of those individuals remain known till this

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