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Gladiators
Gladiators
Two armed men faced each other in an arena.
There was no time limit; they fought until victory was decided.
There was usually a clear winner; either one of the gladiators was
so severely wounded that he died or was unable to continue, or he
was forced to capitulate through exhaustion or loss of blood. His
ultimate fate, however, still hung in the balance. This was decided
by the editor, the
organizer or sponsor of the games, but he usually went along with
the feeling of the crowd. If the loser had fought courageously and
fairly, they might feel sympathy, and wave the hems of their togas
or cloaks, crying 'missum!' or
'mitte!' ('let him go'). However,
if his performance displeased them, they would demand his death,
turning their thumbs up (pollice
verso) and crying 'iugula!'
('kill
him').
The first
public appearance of gladiators in the city of Rome was in the
third century BC. Gladiatorial combat originated in warrior fights
staged as part of funeral ceremonies for important citizens. The
shedding of blood beside a dead man's grave is an ancient
practice common to many Mediterranean cultures. During the second
and first centuries BC these spectacles became more and more common
and elaborate. Gladiatorial schools recruited from among prisoners
of war, slaves, condemned criminals and
volunteers.