Gladiator fights were the most common form of entertainment in Rome. These fights would take place in the amphitheater known as the Coliseum, which could seat about 50,000 people. To the Romans, death was a form of entertainment, so watching the gladiators fight to the death was very entertaining for them. When the Gladiators fought, some of the weapons they used includes swords and maces. Gladiators were usually either slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war.
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Coliseum Amphitheater
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There was a series of rooms beneath the Coliseum that was occupied by caged animals and weapons. It is also where the gladiators waited their turn to fight. They were lifted up on a platform and raised up to the arena. Sometimes, the Romans would put criminals in the arena to serve their sentence. The criminals could not use any weapons at all during the fight. When gladiators fought, depending on who their master was, sometimes they could fight for their freedom. Some people, such as women, even decided to volunteer to be a gladiator. It may have been just to learn how to defend themselves or maybe they wanted to prove something.
Gladiators did not only fight with other gladiators, but they also fought with animals such as lions, rhinos, bears, elephants, tigers and giraffes. Animals would fight other animals as well. The Romans would also tie a gladiator to a stake and let a hungry animal feast on him, maybe a way of punishment. The Romans enjoyed watching the action, the way they cheered them on and encouraged the fight to go on is in a way disturbing. They let the animals eat the gladiators while they were still living, it's almost similar to getting buried alive but more cruel.
By: Tea Burgess
Gladiators did not only fight with other gladiators, but they also fought with animals such as lions, rhinos, bears, elephants, tigers and giraffes. Animals would fight other animals as well. The Romans would also tie a gladiator to a stake and let a hungry animal feast on him, maybe a way of punishment. The Romans enjoyed watching the action, the way they cheered them on and encouraged the fight to go on is in a way disturbing. They let the animals eat the gladiators while they were still living, it's almost similar to getting buried alive but more cruel.
By: Tea Burgess