How gladiatorial battles went from inception to decline

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The gladiators of Ancient Rome became one of the symbols of Antiquity. For several centuries, games have gone from ritual to entertainment for the townspeople.

Gladiator fights in ancient Rome: the era of the Republic

Presumably, the Romans borrowed the idea of gladiatorial combat from their Etruscan or Samnite neighbors. The Italic peoples had the custom of sacrificing captives at the funerals of noble citizens and military leaders, but these peoples forced the doomed to fight.

The first gladiatorial games took place in Rome in 264 BC. e. They were organized by the sons of Junius Brutus Pera at their father's funeral. In these first attested sources of gladiatorial battles, three pairs of fighters took part.

The following games attested in sources took place 49 years later - in 215 BC. e. at the funeral of Emilia Lepida. The games lasted for three days, and 22 pairs of combatants took part in them. The next famous gladiatorial battles took place 15 years later (in 200 BC). Their organizers were the sons of Mark Valery Levin, the hero of the wars with Macedonia and Carthage. At the games in honor of Levin, 25 pairs of fighters have already fought.

The next gladiatorial battles took place in 183 BC. e. in memory of Pontiff Publius Licinius Crassus. They show the growing interest in gladiator fights and the desire of the Romans to outshine their predecessors - the heirs of Crassus fielded 60 pairs of fighters. The above-mentioned gladiatorial battles could not be the only ones: more modest games remained out of sight of ancient writers.

Mosaic with different types of gladiators in North Africa. Source: Wikimedia. Commons

By the middle of the 2nd century BC. e. the organization of gladiatorial fights became much more expensive. Perhaps that is why at the games in memory of Titus Quinctius Flamininus in 174 BC. e. only 37 pairs of gladiators were exhibited. Gladiator fights became not only a part of the ritual at the funeral of a Roman, but also a favorite show of the townspeople. The story of how the audience left Terentius's play amicably, having heard that soon gladiatorial battles would begin nearby.

In wills, Roman citizens gave instructions on holding gladiatorial battles in their memory. Fights took place not only at forums and theaters, but also at feasts. The organizer of the feast could purchase gladiators who would entertain the guests with a duel.

The custom of gladiatorial fights was adopted by the neighbors of the Romans. The king of the Seleucid state Antiochus IV, who lived in Rome as a hostage, staged gladiatorial battles in his kingdom. At first, professional gladiators were brought to him from Rome, and then they began to train on the spot. The Lusitanians staged gladiatorial fights at the funeral of their leader Viriath.

During the era of civil wars, the wealthy and ambitious Romans continued to shell out sums of money for gladiatorial battles along with theatrical performances and banquets. For example, Julius Caesar in the position of aedile put 320 pairs of gladiators for games. The organizers of the games offered innovations. For example, on the last day of the games organized by Scribonius Curion, the victorious gladiators of the first day fought.

Formally, gladiator fights were held in memory of the deceased Romans. But in fact, they became a spectacle that politicians organized to bolster their own popularity.

It was the duty of the curule aediles to organize the annual games. The aediles received part of the funds from the treasury, but they had to add their own. The popularity of the politician among the people and the elite in the position of aedile gave the Roman a chance for a further career, therefore, in addition to public festivals, the aediles privately organized gladiatorial fights.

The spectators of the battles were not only ordinary citizens, but also patricians with horsemen. The ambitious organizer of the games sought to earn their support by investing in gladiatorial combat and other entertainment. Disregard for the spectacle could hinder a career. For example, Sulla was expected to become an aedile and show the townspeople games with animals from North Africa. The general applied for the position of praetor, bypassing the position of aedile, and was defeated.

Herculaneum gladiator's helm. Source: Wikimedia. Commons

Laws were passed limiting the influence of games on political life. According to one law, the organizer was forbidden to distribute seats at the games according to tribes, to which the Romans shared and thereby bribe them. On the initiative of Cicero, a law was passed that forbade the organization of gladiatorial fights for a Roman who sought or was going to achieve government positions in the near future.

In the troubled era of civil strife, politicians acquired gladiators for private armies. They did not hesitate to use them in political struggle. Caecilius Metellus Nepos brought his gladiators to the Forum to intimidate political opponents. Favst Sulla, the son of the dictator, surrounded himself with a detachment of 300 gladiator bodyguards. In the 50s BC. e. gladiators engaged in clashes between supporters of politicians on the streets of the Eternal City.

Roman Colosseum: gladiators and empire

The law of Augustus transferred the organization of games in Rome to the praetors, who received money from the treasury for this. The ability to invest in games was limited. This decision was one of the steps towards limiting the ambitions of the Roman aristocrats.

The annual gladiatorial games took place in December. Emperor Claudius transferred their organization from praetors to quaestors. Under Vespasian, the annual quaestor games were canceled, but his son Domitian revived the annual gladiatorial fights.

The use of combatants to commemorate the dead in the era of the Empire came to naught. But gladiatorial fights were timed to coincide with religious celebrations. Moreover, the games were held for the benefit of the emperor and his family. It was a kind of ritual, according to which the lives of gladiators were exchanged for the well-being of members of the ruling family.

To conduct gladiatorial battles in Rome at his own expense, the Roman had to obtain permission from the Senate. In addition, he could not play more than two games a year and could not attract more than 60 pairs of fighters for the competition.

In the provinces, games began to take place at the expense of the state, and not only private funds. At the same time, local elites fought for positions, so they continued to organize gladiatorial battles at their own expense.

Only the emperors allowed themselves to arrange magnificent games. Under Augustus, the rules for the conduct of gladiatorial games were drawn up. These included the distribution of seats - the first row was reserved for senators, a separate sector was for soldiers, and women had the right to observe the battles only from the very last rows.

Fragment of the "Gladiator's Mosaic" of the 4th century AD. e. Source: Wikimedia. Commons

During his reign, Octavian arranged gladiatorial battles 27 times. At the games in honor of the consecration of the Temple of the Divine Julius, in addition to the usual fights, on the orders of Augustus, a battle was arranged between the captive Dacians and the Suevi.

Claudius approached the organization of games with imagination. Everyone knows what he organized in 52 A. D. e. navmachia - naval battle on Lake Fuqing. In other games, gladiators portrayed the capture of the city and the conquest of Britain.

Under Nero, Roman citizens from among the senators and equestrians, as well as female gladiators, entered the arena, and under Domitian, dwarf gladiators. Vitellius simultaneously played games in all 265 quarters of the Eternal City.

In 79 A. D. e. under the Emperor Titus, the famous Colosseum was opened. Previously, the games took place in the Champ de Mars amphitheater. In honor of the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater, games that spanned 100 days were held.

Under Trajan, gladiatorial battles lasted 123 days, and more than 10 thousand fighters took part in them. First, qualifying battles took place, the winners of which continued to fight further.

Trajan's successors reluctantly sponsored gladiatorial fights. Marcus Aurelius abolished the treasury tax on the sale of gladiators, announcing that the treasury did not need blood-stained money. The exception was Commodus, who personally fought in the arena.

In the 3rd century A. D. e. games have become more modest. An exception was the gladiatorial fights organized by Philip the Arab, among other events in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Rome. The last magnificent battles were organized by Diocletian.

End of the gladiatorial games

Although Constantine celebrated his victory in the civil war with gladiatorial games, over time he took steps to limit cruel fun. An edict was issued prohibiting criminals from being sent to gladiatorial schools. For Rome and several other cities, however, they made an exception. In 357, legionnaires were banned from voluntarily entering gladiator schools.

However, during the era of Constantine, games were still held. Representatives of the Spanish city of Hispellum appealed to the emperor with a request to allow a sacrifice to be made and gladiatorial battles to be held in his honor. Constantine forbade sacrifice, but allowed gladiator fights.

Telemachus tries to stop the fight. Source: Wikimedia. Commons

It is natural that Christians condemned gladiatorial fights from the very beginning. Legend connects the end of the bloody games in Rome with the Christian monk Telemachus at the beginning of the 5th century AD. e. They wrote that he burst into the arena and tried to stop the fighting gladiators. Angry spectators dealt with the monk. From other sources it is known that Telemachus was killed by gladiators on the orders of the city prefect. The saint's attempt to stop the duel was a legend.

In the second half of the 4th century A. D. e. gladiators have appeared in the texts of historians for the last time. The Roman bishop Damasius, following an old Roman tradition, hired gladiators as bodyguards in 367. A little later in Syria, one of the bishops hired gladiators to destroy pagan temples.

Valentinian I finally banned criminals from being gladiators. And in 397 A. D. e. schools of gladiators are last mentioned. The games were not officially banned, but stopped of their own accord with the conversion of most of the Roman elite and ordinary people to Christianity.

Nikolay Razumov