Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We pretty much have our fix these days with UFC or whatever all that cage fighting is. Then just watching fans go at it at sporting events like a bunch of idiots is probably enough. Of course then there is the evening news with the countless school shootings, gang shootings and more. Do we really need to go back in time? I don't think we have progressed much in the past thousand years.
You know the individuals running the early Church were very concerned about the effects of seeing the violence of gladiator fights. Augustine himself wondered why there would be so much adulation and concern but yet contempt towards the gladiators who were a group that identified with slaves and prostitutes.
In 325 AD, Constantine did produce an edict to 'forbid the existence' of gladiators and to 'ensure that those persons who, because of their crimes, used to be sentenced to become gladiators, should now be sentenced to the mines, so that they can pay the penalty for their criminal behavior without having to shed their blood'.
But even then it took a bit of time to see the end of the Roman gladiator. The early Church eventually came to see that the 'salvation' offered by gladiatorial combat namely regaining 'virtus' through the fight was given by the Roman people and not God-given therefore it came to pass that the combat could not continue within the eventual Christian state.
This is correct, it would rarely end in death. If the crowd wanted death then it most often was ordered, but it was only ordered if the loser yielded without fighting or trying. Rudis (freedom) was awarded to gladiators that fought hard, and often times did not involve bloodshed.
The events would also hold public executions.
The gladiators were often slaves, forced into the life. Their diets, interestingly, were vegetarian. Some believe it was to make them overweight in order o protect vital organs from wounds. They received the best medical care and regular massaging. They were obviously very expensive.
There was plenty of death, with prisoners of war and pety criminals who might fight to the death but they were just the background noise. Gladators as has been said were the rockstars. The others were public executions.
Not in particular, I mean we have combat sports now and those guys can actually fight, why would I want to watch a bunch of dudes who I could probably beat up?
There was plenty of death, with prisoners of war and pety criminals who might fight to the death but they were just the background noise. Gladators as has been said were the rockstars. The others were public executions.
You are correct, public executions has already been discussed in this thread (see sentence after 1st paragraph in my post). The distinction between a Gladiator and a prisoner is well known. Many great Gladiators went on to lose, some had records with 5-6 losses, but were never killed. Only when a gladiator refused to fight or if they just put on a poor show would the crowd boo and chant for death, the host would oblige the crowd.
Not in particular, I mean we have combat sports now and those guys can actually fight, why would I want to watch a bunch of dudes who I could probably beat up?
Please show me this so called sport with swords, spears, nets, and armor.
Now, you wouldn't have to stay back in those days, but if you had the opportunity to go back to when Rome was in it's zenith and watch a gladiator game would you? As morbid as it may seem I would want to
Somehow I am tempted to say that I would rather watch a gladiator movie.
^
I'd think our society today no doubt would want you to watch rather than maybe starting a school and events by yourself...;-).... Something tells me that 's why we got the Cotton Bowl, Super Bowl and those sports with 'sudden death'. Got to keep those old games alive somehow to entertain the modern crowds. Look like we've certainly sublimated all that in cultures as the swords are sheathed...but we still have helmets!
And as far as those gladiators go I wonder if they trash-talked. I figure there had to be some blood curling lines coming out while the crowd was going out if their minds. Historians don't seem to mention anything on it.
Please show me this so called sport with swords, spears, nets, and armor.
There is none, but it would look silly anyway.
Gladiators pulled punches, might as well see a gladiator re-enactment, would probably be the same thing. What they did was hardly a sport.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
