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Grant
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I've always been sceptical about Roman gladiatorial fights. According to orthodoxy, thousands of gladiators died in arenas across the empire every year. But I'm not convinced it would have been possible to sustain such a large number of deaths.
We are told that there were schools in which gladiators learnt how to fight, almost like racing stables today. But it would have cost a lot of money to find a suitable slave and then train him to fight. To then let him fight to the death would be like buying a racehorse and then having it killed when it lost a race.
I reckon 99% of the deaths were captives and criminals who were thrown into the arena for despatch by the gladiators, in the same way that bulls are killed by matadors. Very occasionally two highly trained men would fight but it would be choreographed and the loser spared.
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Ishmael
In: Toronto
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| Grant wrote: | | I've always been sceptical about Roman gladiatorial fights. |
If some of the story doesn't make sense, what excuse have you for retaining the rest?
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Grant
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| If some of the story doesn't make sense, what excuse have you for retaining the rest? |
1) I've seen the Colosseum and the arena at Arles. Presumably they were built for some sporting event.
2) Many ancient sources state that the Romans staged bloodthirsty spectacles in the arenas.
3) Ancient writers often exaggerated things, but I have no reason to believe that there was not a large element of truth.
Therefore, yes there were gladiators but they rarely fought each other with evil intent and usually just killed animals or criminals.
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Pulp History
In: Wales
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Seems to me that if there were not some degree of longevity in the 'career' of the Gladiators, then the Spartacus revolt would not have been a one off occurrence, but an annual mutiny in the fight to escape and stay alive...... did they not talk to each other and say 'buggered if I'm going to die for the pleasure of Caesar, let's all break out of here!'
_________________
Question everything!
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Chad
In: Ramsbottom
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| there were gladiators but they rarely fought each other with evil intent |
Come off it� you'll be telling us next, that professional wrestling is choreographed.
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Grant
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Pulp wrote
| Seems to me that if there were not some degree of longevity in the 'career' of the Gladiators, then the Spartacus revolt would not have been a one off occurrence, but an annual mutiny in the fight to escape and stay alive |
I hadn't thought about Spartacus, but it's a good point. There must have a good deal of organisation before the gladiators rebelled. If the life expectancy was only a few months, how could this have happened.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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The reference eludes me, but it was something to the effect that the Romans loved re-enactments of their miltary victories. Which meant captives from the battles were routinely brought all the way to Rome, and then killed in front of a paying public. Nice people those Romans.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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As opposed to those people who killed their captives straight after the battle.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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Centurion: Homines barbaros, me audies.
Barbarus, captivos: Quid?
Centurion: Habeo bonum nuntium et durus nuntius.
Barbarus, et captiva: Bonum nuntium est?
Centurion: Iam non sumus occidere.
Barbarus, et captiva: Bonum.
Centurio: Proficiscimur ad Romam accipere.
Barbarus, et captiva: Id est nice quod. Quid est malus novi?
Centurioni Colosseum sumus te occidere.
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Pulp History
In: Wales
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| Boreades wrote: | Centurion: Homines barbaros, me audies.
Barbarus, captivos: Quid?
Centurion: Habeo bonum nuntium et durus nuntius.
Barbarus, et captiva: Bonum nuntium est?
Centurion: Iam non sumus occidere.
Barbarus, et captiva: Bonum.
Centurio: Proficiscimur ad Romam accipere.
Barbarus, et captiva: Id est nice quod. Quid est malus novi?
Centurioni Colosseum sumus te occidere. |
Barbarus, et captiva: Pedicabo quod, Mallem mori hic!
_________________
Question everything!
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Fuckus offus, the pair of youse. Oh and welcome back, Pulp, where've you been?
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Pulp History
In: Wales
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Hail Mick, been busy with life, kids, work, too busy to think - like the majority of the masses.
_________________
Question everything!
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