Download Gladiators - Richland School District

Gladiators
By Brandon N.
The Romans loved blood sports. They gathered at the arena
to watch public executions of criminals. Animal fights were also
popular. The Romans often watched chariot races. Chariot
crashes sometimes killed horses and drivers. But, the most popular
entertainment was watching gladiators fight!
Gladiators were fighters who fought to entertain the public.
Most gladiators were slaves captured in war. Some were
criminals, and a few were free men. They were trained at gladiator
schools in different parts of the Roman Empire by lanistas, or their
owners. Gladiators’ lives were short because they sometimes
fought to the death.
Different gladiators used different weapons. The retiarus was
a gladiator who used a fishing net and a trident. Others used
swords, large shields, curved swords, spiked balls, chains, spears,
and axes.
Sometimes gladiators won fame in the arena. Really good
gladiators could win their freedom or prize money. Some
gladiators could be as popular as our own Bret Favre. Even though
gladiator fights were the most exciting game in ancient Rome, they
were very violent and dangerous games.
Bibliography
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiators.html
Colosseum, A Gladiator’s Story. Videotape. Discovery Video,
2004. 45 minutes.
Eldridge, Jim. Warriors! True Stories of Combat, Skill and
Courage. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 2001.