Gladiators

In this gallery are fourteen fascinating images of Gladiators from Ancient Rome. They come from two volumes of the book Saturnalian Sermons Book Two, Those of the Gladiators written by Justus Lipsius in 1585 and 1604. The book is an early, scholarly study of Roman gladiatorial combat. Lipsius was one of the first to treat the history of the games as a serious subject of “antiquarian” research rather than just moral commentary. The book was written in Latin, so I did my best to translate the descriptions into English. If you click on an individual image, you’ll find addition details, if they were available. After viewing these illustrations of Gladiators, be sure to visit the pages with more drawings of Roman Gladiators and some Gladiator Helmets. Enjoy!

~ Click on an image for more details. ~

 

 

More about Gladiators

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• Gladiator: The Complete Guide To Ancient Rome’s Bloody Fighters ~ An eye-opening new look at one of the most popular spectacles of ancient Rome. A richly detailed, fascinating guide, Gladiator provides a complete, breathtaking tour of gladiator customs and covers every aspect of the gladiator phenomenon—from the types of equipment the different classes of gladiator used, to the high place in society occupied by these sportsmen who were prepared to die.
• The Gladiators: History’s Most Deadly Sport ~ Superfit, muscled, and macho, gladiators were hero-worshipped for their skills and courage as they fought to the death, yet despised for their humble status. For over six cruel centuries, tens of thousands died in the blood soaked arenas of Rome and its colonies, watched by enthralled crowds screaming for violence. Professor Fik Meijer has ingeniously pieced together their true stories from contemporary evidence, describing the gladiators’ origins, daily life, training, and the odds of their survival pitted against their legions of fans’ lust for blood and spectacle.
• The Colosseum: A Captivating Guide to an Icon of Ancient Rome ~ Step into ancient Rome through the story of the Colosseum, a symbol of Rome’s power and the loyalty of its people. Built nearly two thousand years ago, this enormous amphitheater was more than just a stadium. It was the Flavian dynasty’s way to show off the empire’s strength and culture, all for free. Follow the Colosseum’s journey from its glory days to the scars it bore after Rome’s fall. Natural disasters and looters nearly tore it apart, but against the odds, it has survived for centuries. Today, it stands as one of the world’s most-visited landmarks.
• The Roman Gladiators and the Colosseum: The History and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Most Famous Arena and Fighters ~ The main events in the Colosseum were gladiator fights. Gladiators are somewhat synonymous with ancient Rome, and even thousands of years after they performed on the sands, when people are asked about Roman culture, many think about and refer to the bloody spectacles of men fighting to the death in the arena. Gladiatorial combat is often regarded as barbaric, and most find it very difficult to comprehend how people could have enjoyed watching something so violent; nevertheless, the spectacle still intrigues and fascinates people today, whether in movies like Gladiator or television shows about Spartacus.

 

More Images of Gladiators

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