Joel
2/8/02
L.A.
Gladiators and the Colosseum.
Have you ever wondered what ancient Romans did for
entertainment? During the period of ancient Roman civilization, they
developed many different ways of enjoyment. One of the most popular forms
of entertainment were gladiator fights. Gladiator fights were held from
264 B.C. to 500 A.D. in a majority of arenas, but the ultimate place for
gladiators to meet was the Colosseum.
Gladiators became very popular in ancient Rome.
Gladiators were mostly males who were forced to become swordsmen in special training
schools. Most were slaves, condemned criminals, and prisoners of
war. Occasionally, free men would become gladiators.
All gladiators were divided into two classes. The
classes were the lightly armed and heavily armed. For instance, a gladiator
from the light class would fight against another gladiator from the light class.
A gladiator from one
class would never fight a battle with a gladiator from the other class.
If a gladiator was wounded he would probably raise his index
finger. When the crowd saw this signal they would decide the fate of the
gladiator. If they put their thumbs down, the wounded man would be killed. Thumbs up meant the gladiator would be able to live.
How well the wounded gladiator fought before he was wounded
determined if the spectators would let him live. Successful gladiators received
great acclaim and after a long time could be relieved from further events.
There were a few different kinds of weapons that gladiators
used. Some men would have curved daggers. Others had a net and a
three pronged spear. A few unlucky people only had a shield and a helmet that came
down over their eyes.
Gladiator fights took place in big buildings called
amphitheaters. In each amphitheater there was a round arena. The
battleground floor was made of red sand to conceal all the blood.
The seats of the arena were divided into three sections. The first
section was for government officials. The second was for all the rich
Romans. The rest of the building was packed with ordinary people.
The first gladiator event was held in central Italy. It happened
in the year 264 B.C. There was so much killing in the first fight that two
thousand gladiators were killed.
Julius Caesar held an event with three hundred pairs of
gladiators. In this famous event there was a fight between a woman and a
dwarf.
In the year 107 A.D. the largest gladiator fight took
place. It was held to celebrate a victorious battle. Five thousand
gladiators participated in all.
Gladiator fights were banned in the year 325 A.D.
Amazingly, they continued secretly until 500 A.D.
The Colosseum was one of the most famous buildings of
the Roman Empire. Emperor Vespasion started to build it in Rome. He
died before the Colosseum was finished. Therefore, it
was finished in the year 80 A.D. by his son, Titus. It took eight years to
construct. The Colosseum was originally called Flavian Amphitheater.
The Colosseum was originally made of wood but when it
started rotting it was replaced with marble. Remarkably, the builders needed 100,000
cubic meters of marble to build the structure. The Colosseum was one
hundred sixty feet high. There were four stories. On the first floor
the were eighty entrances. Two were for the emperor and two for the
gladiators. The rest of the gateways were built for the spectators.
The humongous building seated 50,000 people.
Mostly three things happened in the Colosseum. There
were gladiator fights and fights between one gladiator and a wild animal.
These fights were very popular. Another thing that happened in the
Colosseum was chariot races. There were four different teams of
chariots. They were called the Whites, Greens, Blues, and Reds. In
each chariot race one chariot would compete from each team. One of the most
outrageous things that happened in the Colosseum was when it was flooded and mock
naval battles were held.
In conclusion, the Romans had many kinds of popular things they did.
Gladiator fights in the Colosseum were one of the most popular forms of
entertainment in ancient Rome.