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[6th Melissa]

-They fought in an ampitheatre
-One
cannot gloss over the bloody cruelty of Roman gladiatorial games, but
the student of Roman civilization cannot afford to dismiss these
contests simply because they offend modern sensibility
-To avoid smugness, we must admit that the modern appetite for viewing violence is probably just as strong as the ancient
-Exotic and fierce wild animals had to be imported to Rome from North Africa or the Near East
-The
usual method was to have bush beaters and men on horseback chase lions,
panthers, leopards, and other large animals into an area surrounded by
shields and nets, such as is depicted in this mosaic from North Africa
-Once
hunting ceased to be a means of survival and became a sport, the
killing of wild animals was viewed as a demonstration of man's mastery
of nature.
-Up until the late first century BC gladiatorial combats were held in the Forum, the Circus Maximus, and at other sites
-When the games were held in the Forum, temporary wooden stands were put up
-The first gladiatorial contest at Rome took place in 264 BC as part of aristocratic funerary ritual, a munus or funeral gift for the dead
-Capital punishment was often carried out in the amphitheater as part of the morning venatio
by requiring criminals to face wild animals without the benefit of
weapons and armor and at noon when condemned criminals, unprotected by
any kind of armor, fought each other with swords to the death
-Gladiatorial shows also had a political significance
-In
the Republic, gladiatorial contests brought great popularity to the
giver of the games, which paid off in votes at election time

· Most gladiator were not free
· Most were fought in The Coliseum
· Anyone who became a gladiator was automatically “infamis”, beneath the law and by definition not a respectable citizen.
· All gladiators swore a solemn oath, “I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword.”