The term Gladiator comes from the term gladius after the Roman sword. They were mostly condemned criminals, prisoners of war and slaves. These individuals would be forced to fight, sometimes till their death as a punishment. This fighting was a primary form of entertainment for the Roman society. Rarely gladiators would be free men would volunteer to take on the status of a slave to reap the benefits of fame, excitement and money. Gladiators were known for their courage, moral, integrity and loyalty to their masters for whom had complete control in there highly disciplined lifestyles. Although gladiators were determined infamous (beneath the law) they often were admired by the Roman women and could achieve high public adoration. It is estimated that by the end of the republic almost half of all gladiators were volunteer.

During the reign of Nero women were able to fight as gladiators. These women would o

There were several different types of gladiators. The Thracian, Secutor, Retiarius and the Bestiarius were distinguished by their armor, weapons and fighting styles. The Bestiarius is the lowest ranking gladiator and was usually left to fight the animals without any armor. This type of animal fighting was known as venatio and would take place before the Gladiator fights.

The first gladiator contests were part of a funeral ritual and took place in 264 BC. Decimus Junius Brutus did the funeral gift for the dead in honor of his father. The purpose of this was to keep the memory of the dead alive. These rituals were held after the funeral and often repeated at annual or 5 year rituals. Gladiatorial games eventually moved from the funerals to the public eye and were a popular form of entertainment staged by politicians and emperors.

ften times fight male dwarfs or by torchlight. The Romans enjoyed to these events to the point where women were taking up the occupation in alarming numbers. It was during the time of Septimius Severus that female gladiators were banned.

The popularity of the gladiatorial games can be seen through art and many household items from the time. An entire floor of a Roman villa in Nenning, Germany was illustrated with the many different aspects of the games.

The day of the gladoritial games would start with a procession of the combatants and the emperor. All of the day's events were often accompanied with music. The day would begin with mock fights or animal displays. Eventually th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Retiarius Bestiarius, Roman Empire, Flavian Amphitheatre, Junius Brutus, Septimius Severus, Circus Maximus, Ludus Magnus, Nenning Germany, , Roman Gladiators, gladiatorial games, practice amphitheatre, games political, form entertainment, roman society,
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