REAL HISTORY OF THE GLADIATORS
One of the most well-known legacies of Ancient Rome is the spectator events of the arena, in particular gladiatorial contests. Some may be familiar with Roman institutions such as the Plebeian Council or the Centuriate Assembly, but almost everyone has heard of the gladiators and the Colosseum. This is due in no small part to Hollywood blockbusters like Spartacus and Gladiator. The historical accuracy of most of these cinematic depictions, however, often eaves something to be desired and there are many aspects of the gladiatorial phenomenon that are commonly overlooked in popular culture.
One topic of debate among historians has been the origin of gladiatorial contests. Such combat existed in Italy prior to its emergence in Rome, but a consensus beyond this has been difficult to achieve. Some researchers argue that gladiators originated in the Etruscan society of north-central Italy, a belief based largely upon ancient testimony that the term ‘lanista’, the standard Roman word for a gladiatorial trainer, was Etruscan in origin. However, the preponderance of available evidence seems to support the idea that gladiatorial combat originated among the Campanians of south-central Italy. A series of late 4th century BCE tomb paintings from Campania, for example, depict duels between armed men reminiscent of later gladiatorial combat in Rome. And the Roman historian Livy records that Rome’s Campanian allies during the same period were in the practice of dressing up gladiators in the armour of their enemy, the Samnites, and forcing them to fight duels to entertain guests at banquets.
The earliest recorded gladiatorial duels in Rome were staged in a funerary context, a far cry from the later massive spectacles of the Colosseum. In 264 BCE, for example, the sons of Decimus Junius Brutus staged a combat involving three pairs of gladiators in the Forum Boarium (‘Cattle Market’) for their deceased father. In these early funerary events the fighting skill of the participants, as well as the blood they spilled, was meant to honour the deceased, an obligation that those staging such events were happy to fulfil. This idea of family obligation towards dead relatives, or
