Gladiator And The Gladiatorial Games Of Ancient Rome

As the games were meant to entertain mass audiences, the fighting took place in amphitheaters throughout Rome and its provinces. The most famous of these amphitheaters is the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, commonly known as the Colosseum (see Fig. 1). It was called the Flavian Amphitheater because it was built by members of the Flavian Dynasty. Vespasian started the building in around AD 75, Titus dedicated it in AD 80, and Domitian added some finishing touches during his rule (AD 81-96). In the middle ages the amphitheater was renamed the Colosseum because of the colossal statue of Nero that used to stand next to the building. This magnificent monument could hold up to 50,000 peopl

It was un-Roman and unpatriotic to shy away from such displays of bloodshed. Watching the gladiators fight was simply a form of entertainment, no different than modern audiences going out to see a movie or a sporting event. In fact, from a modern perspective can we really say that we do not enjoy the same kind of violence? Although no one actually dies, watching a boxing match or a gory horror movie can be almost as violent as watching a gladiator slay his opponent.

Commodus in particular enjoyed participating in gladiatorial shows. He fought at least one thousand times, more than any other emperor. Juvenal tells an interesting story about the conception of Commodus, which may explain why he wanted to be a gladiator. Apparently his mother, Faustina, fell in love with a gladiator and told her husband Marcus Aurelius about it:

However, it is interesting to note that the actual status of gladiators in ancient Rome was quite ambivalent. They were considered the lowest of the low, while at the same time cheered on by thousands and thousands of spectators. The gladiators who were skillful enough to gain many victories reached a heroic status among the people, but the rest were treated as common slaves.

As was the case with Commodus’ mother, many women and men adored the gladiators for their courage and skills in the arena. The gladiators were considered celebrities. It is clear that the gladiators symbolized power and leadership, core values of the Roman people. According to Alan Baker, in his book on Roman gladiators:

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