Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant
This is how we’re imagining gladiator games: a lot of blood and a small chance of survival. Being forced to fight in order to amuse the crowd greedy for brutal violence. What was it really like? What belongs to the realm of myth? Where did they actually come from?
The first fights for life or death were already organized by the Etruscans, a civilization conquered by the Romans in 300 – 90 BC, usually as a festival of the dead in order to honor a reputable decedent like a general. Romans took this custom over after annexing and forcing the Etruscans to assimilate into the Roman culture.
These private festivals for the dead progressively turned into public events taking place at the market squarest first. Later on, there were arenas called Murena made for this kind of amusement. Those fighters were mainly well trained men. Most of them were prisoners of war, but many decided to join voluntarily. They can be compared to our modern rock stars. They had fans or even groupies following and adoring them -when they successfully struck down their opponents or killed them.
Murmillo: A gladiator on foot equipped with a helmet, a shield, a sword plus one bracer and one leg protector.
Eques: Gladiator on horseback coated in a tunic. The other ones wore a loin cloth. He owned a round shield, a lance, a short sword and a helmet. The fight began mounted to be continued on foot.
Thraex: Fights on feet and equipped based on the model of the Thracians: he had a bent sword, a visor helmet and a shield. The sword’s raising arm has got a stitched protection vest.
Hopiomachus: A gladiator named after the Greek Hoplites armed with a lance, a richly ornamented helmet, a sword, a big shield and one leg protector.
Retiraius: This gladiator was more reminiscent of a fisherman than of a fighter due to his net and his trident. He easily won when he caught his opponent with his net. Besides, he wore epaulettes and a dagger.
Secutor: This gladiator was especially equipped against the Retiraius. His helmet and shield were smooth so they didn’t provide any points for a net to attack. He had a sword and a helmet protecting his head apart from his eyes, so the opponent couldn’t attack them. As a consequence, his view was very limited.
Way more types existed, which were either even more exotic or too unexplored to describe their equipment.
But as mentioned above, these fights had strict rules, so the gladiators woulndn’t be killed immediately.
The crowd or the emperor himself decided whether the loser would live or had to die. Everyone knows the thumb-up-or-down-game, yet it’s not clarified which one meant death or life. Back in the days of Ancient Rome, a thumb up could also mean “send him to the Gods…“
There were many events on an eventful day. At first, convicted criminals had to fight to death against each other, without being gladiators! Then, other criminals got killed by wild animals. Accordingly, ordinary men, not gladiators, fought against animals or animals against each other.
After those,you saw the “real“ fights. At first the fighters presented themselves in the arena, then they came out as pairs to compete against each other. Gladiator pupils fought with wooden weapons at the beginning.
Then, the real fights began and the Romans loved their stars! If the fight was exciting, both fighters could usually survive. But it also occured that one gladiator was severely injured so that a decision needed to be done. The winner got an olive branch and money for ransoming themselves.
The most durable fighters underwent for about 30 fights in their career, they died or ransomed themselves after. A gladiator who achieved freedom received a wooden sword as a symbol for a new, peaceful life. Sometimes released gladiators decided to return to the Murena. They seemingly missed the thrill.
Even the death blow was subject to strict rules: the winner had to kill fast and neatly, thrusting his sword between the loser’s shoulders- his heart or throat. They even trained for that. Before, the loser presented his defeat and asked the audience for a decision by sticking his finger in the air. Some emperors even prohibited fights ending with deaths only. During 100 fights “only“ 19 participants died on average.
These fights ended when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, except for some remote provinces. Oh, it’s by the way actually not for sure whether the dictum Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant comes from the gladiator fights!
Bild- und Informationsquelle: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator#mediaviewer/Datei:Jean-Leon_Gerome_Pollice_Verso.jpg
