Our idea of gladiators is shaped by Hollywood films, which are characterized by a large proportion of cinematic fantasy. It's time to dispel the misconceptions that were born from watching historical films.
All gladiators were originally slaves
Romans hungry for spectacle. Meanwhile, the initial mentions of gladiatr are associated with the funeral custom of noble Etruscan leaders. Their bodyguards fought for the right to protect their master in the afterlife. Later, the Romans transformed this custom into mass entertainment. By the way, the first gladiatorial battles in ancient Rome took place in 264 BC, and only three couples took part in them. Emperor Trajan in 107 AD he celebrated his triumph with a spectacle in which five thousand pairs of gladiators fought.
All gladiators were men
Women were also gladiators and were called gladiatrices - singular gladiators. There are documents that tell about the duels of women during the reign of Nero (37 - 68 AD). However, historians are sure that there were fights between the fair sex before. This custom was strongly condemned by Decimus Junius Juvenal in the Satyrs. The poet believed that in this way the patricians sought thrills and satisfied their base feelings. Around AD 200, Emperor Severus prohibited women from participating in gladiatorial combat, but this prohibition was often ignored.
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The Thumb Down Myth
One of the main misconceptions about gladiators is associated with the gesture of the Roman emperor, who decided the outcome of the battle. It is believed that with a thumb up, the ruler gave life to a defeated soldier, while a thumb pointing down meant death. This myth has firmly entered the minds of people with the light hand of the French artist Jean-Léon Jerome, who painted the painting "Pollice Verso" 142 years ago. In reality, this custom was governed by a completely different gesture. A number of historians claim that an open flat palm spoke of mercy, a closed one - of killing. However, there is another opinion, according to which a fist meant a sword, hidden in a scabbard, therefore - mercy. Of course, from a cinematic point of view, gesturing with a finger looks more impressive than with a palm. However, from the arena it is easier to see the emperor's hand: whether it is unclenched, or clenched into a fist.
The myth of the powerlessness of the vanquished
Most people are convinced that gladiatorial fights always ended in death. Meanwhile, if the gladiator struck in the heat of the struggle at his helpless enemy before the emperor gave the "order for execution", he was brought to trial. According to the existing rules, only the emperor had the right to pardon or punish. By the way, the “thumbs down” was, however, as a statement of death.
The myth of the bad attitude towards gladiators
Gladiators were carefully matched to match the seven categories available, taking into account the ability to attack or defend. By the way, the word gladiatr in Latin means swordsman. All this reduced the likelihood of an easy and brutal victory.
Despite the slave situation, the existing rules (first of all, unwritten ones) spared the gladiators, so they fought no more than two or three times a year. Moreover, the customs of gladiatorial schools provided for the donation of freedom, however, after three to five successful battles in the arena. It is interesting that even free Romans became gladiators, first of all, for the glory and favor of women.
The myth of cruelty in the arena
Doctors Klaus Grosschmidt and Fabian Kantz examined an 1800-year-old gladiatorial cemetery in Ephesus, Turkey. They found that their skeletons displayed typical trauma patterns that could be used to determine the category of fighters. Tellingly, wounds incompatible with life were extremely rare. Indeed, the gladiatorial fights were more like a competition, followed by the judges. This is explained by the fact that beautiful and spectacular fights could show real professional couples who cost too much money to allow the death of one of the fighters.
The myth of the bloodthirstiness of gladiators
These same doctors, Klaus Grosschmidt and Fabian Kantz, found that in many cases, the skeletons of gladiators, with potentially fatal injuries, also had the same skull injuries, most likely made with a hammer. In any case, this is evidenced by the nature of the damage to the gladiator's helmets. Based on this, Grosschmidt and Kants made the assumption that there was a person in the gladiatorial schools who would finish off seriously wounded soldiers, so as not to "inflict mental wounds on the winners." Most likely, this was not done in the arena and only after the final diagnoses of the doctors. This was done in order to save the wounded from agony.