Essay On Gladiators

Rome’s military might have been small but it was mighty, it had excellent military tactics and strong military generals. This contributes to why they kept on winning many battles. The fights that were won prisoners of war were taken. Many of the prisoners were then sold into the gladiatorial school and tried to earn their freedom, fighting in the gladiator games.
Most of the gladiators were slaves or condemned prisoners who were trained for the fighting in special gladiatorial schools (Spielvogel, 185.) The gladiators were trained and bought by the lanista which literally translates into trainer of gladiators. Gladiators were a big investment to the lanista, so not many of the slaves died. The gladiators were treated better than most slaves in that they got fed on a good diet and they were given expert medical attention.
Gladiators were put up against each other to fights to the death. The winning gladiator waited for a sign from the crowd on whether to kill or not to kill the other gladiator; if the gladiator put up a good fight then his life just might be spared (“Gladiators, Chariots, and the Roman Games”.) 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” (McManus, “Gladiator Games”.) The gladiatorial games were a form of entertainment of the masses. They also fulfilled a political and social function by distracting the citizens of Rome from their woes of life and the problems with the government. The people of Rome also got food along with their entertainment because a lot of the Roman citizens were poor because most of the jobs were taken by the merchants and politicians. Most of the food was given to the citizens while they were in the stands at the amphitheater. This form of entertainment was called bread and circuses. The Romans had turned death into a form of