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Gladiators pulled punches, might as well see a gladiator re-enactment, would probably be the same thing. What they did was hardly a sport.
There are those who battle with ratan sword in battle, and steel in display. Medieval recreationists study and battle. The object isn't to kill each other but have fun, of course, but the training is in how to handle them as weapons, weather wood or metal. So its not silly if its something which appeal to you.
And then there is the real brutality of cage fighting and other quasi legal forms of fighing which have plenty willing to watch and the bloodier the better. We aren't done with that lust for violence and blood, we just couch it in different words.
One thing about those gladiator fights that get me is that gladiators of course were 'trained' to fight their adversaries as they lived. But it's something else to also know 'how' to die when you lose. When it was time for gladaitor to die it mean not flinching a muscle and accept the blade straight on into your neck. In fact, you invite it... to die as a Roman. Different world, different 'games'.
Watching someone get submitted or knocked out in boxing is good enough for me. Basically when that happens, their lives are pretty in the hands of others anyways.
And the bad guy gladiators had managers who would sneak in and throw blinding powder in the eyes of the opponent when the referee had his back turned.
I had not heard that the games were staged to so great a degree, what was your source for this information?
A review of a book. The author concluded that Gladiators ended just like a big show that was all "make believe", due mainly to money..since the munifice had to pay to the lanist for every death gladiator, plus the auto ractio - some form of complex self insurance, was exhorbitant.
Of course, there were butcherings but using prisoners, people condemned to death, christians, etc.....but not professional gladiators...
The chances of dying in the arena before leaving it for whatever reason, may not have been much greater than that of a man joining the army. While the length of enlistment varied slightly over the years, usually when a man joined up it was for 20 years. According to the scholars, this man had almost exactly an even chance of living to collect his discharge bonus, which was substantial, and his pension. 50 50 chance of either living or dying until his time in the legions was over. Besides being killed in battle, he might also die from many other causes; disease, starvation, accidents, etc.
Interesting. Maybe the life of a gladiator wasn't so bad after all? I've read the sources where it had some great advantages.
They were renowned fighters and could bask in glory showing their courage in suffering and death. They received honors just like the those in the army as well as respect. Got 3 meals a day, medical care and could win money. And if the gladiator lived long enough he could get his freedom. Not bad for fighting maybe 3 times a year!
Good for fame too....;-)..
Celadus the Thracian...three times victor and three times crowned, adored by young girls...
Crescens..the 'nocturnal netter' (retiarius) of young girls (an early Jim Morrison???)
Thrax is the heaert throb of all the girls!
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