Download Roman Legion & Gladiators

Roman Legions & Gladiators
By: Charlene, Hilary,
Meaghan & Kristina
• Were mostly condemned criminals, prisoners of war or slaves who were bought for
the purpose of fighting.
• Professional gladiators however were free men who volunteered to participate.
• Pairs of Gladiators would fight each other for the amusement of the public in
theatres, amphitheatres, the circus and even the Roman Forum.
• fights and contests were banned in 325 CE by
Emperor Constantine I.
•The last known gladiator competition in the city of
Rome occurred on January 1, 404.
• Professional Gladiators were expensive to train so there were very few fights to the
death.
• It was much easier to just slit the throats of the condemned criminals.
•The 1st contest was in 264 BCE
•The games were established by Etruscans
•The Romans then started to do it as a form of entertainment.
•The Etruscans Believed when an important man died, his spirit needed a
sacrfice to survive in the after life.
•The first gladiator game was taken place in Rome in 263 BCE. Decimus
Brutus Scaeva put it in honour of his father who passed away.
•Three slaves participated in the first game.
•The Gladiators were slaves, prisoners of war, and ciminals. Sometimes there
were volunteers.
•They were trained in gladiator schools.
•A gladiator would usually only fight no more than 3 times a year.
•Gladiator fights were first banned by Constantine I in 325 BCE. The last
gladiator competition was on 404 BCE.
Gladiators had different types of fighting, they specialized in
different weapons, and it was popular to put pairs together, who
have different ways to fight. The types of gladiators were:
Andabatae: they Fought with visored helmet and
were possibly blindfolded and were on horses or
chariots.
Dimachaeri: The Dimachaeri used small swords.
Bestiari: These gladiators Fought against
animals, and they used spears to kill them.
Equites: these gladiators Fought on horses, and
there weapons were speasrs and they dressed in
a full tunic.
Essedari: these fought in chariots.
Hoplomachi:they had a full amour, they wore a
helmet, woollen tights, and shin-guards. They
carried a gladius and a small, round shield, and
were paired with mirmillones or Thraces. They
apparently became Samnites later.
Laquerii: were those who used a noose to
catch their adversaries
Mirmillones (or murmillones): Wore a
helmet. They carried a gladius and an
oblong shield.
Provocatores: Fought with the Samnites.
Retiarii: Carried a trident, a dagger, and a
net, no helmet, and a larger manica. They
commonly fought secutores or mirmillones.
Samnites: Carried a long rectangular
shield, visor, plumed helmet and short
sword.
Secutores: Had the same armour as a
murmillo, including oblong shield and a
gladius, however, they wore a helmet with
only two eye-holes.
Thraces/Thracians: Had the same armour
and weapons as hoplomachi, but instead
had a round shield and also carried a
curved dagger.
The Roman legion was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman
army. It consisted of a core of heavy infantry, with auxiliary cavalry and
ranged troops, typically skirmishers
~The size of a typical legion varied widely throughout the history of
Rome, ranging from 5000-6000 men in the republican period of Rome
~As legions were not standing armies, were instead created, used, and
disbanded again, several hundred Legions were named and numbered
throughout Roman history
~Due to the enormous military successes of the Roman Republic and the
Roman Empire the legion has long been regarded as the prime ancient
model for military efficiency and ability
~ A Roman legion was an infantry unit consisting of heavily armed
soldier, equipped with shields, armor, helmets, spears and swords
~In the early days when Augustus was in power, there were 25 legions
that defended the empire
~Minor punishments included reduction of the food ration or to eat barley
instead of the usual grain ration
Legions were composed of the following units:
Equites(cavalry)
~ most prestigious unit, where wealthy young Roman upstarts displayed
their skill. All of the equipment was purchased by each cavalryman,
which consisted of a round shield, helmet, body armour, sword and one
or more javelins
Velites (light infantry):
Velites were basically javelin throwers. They did not have a precise
formal function in battle, they were being used when they were needed.
They try to break up the enemy formation and would deploy in front.
Heavy Infantry:.
The heavy infantry was composed of citizen legionaries that could afford
the equipment composed of bronze helmet, shield, armour and short
spear (pilum). They preferred the weapon gladius, a short sword. The
heavy infantry was subdivided, according to the legionaries' experience.
•The younger ones and formed the front line
•Men in their prime ages (late twenties to early thirties), composed the
second line of the legion
•The veteran soldiers that occupied the rear; only in extreme situations
would they be used in battle. They were equipped with spears, rather then
the other weapons.
Geography: Though the geography of Rome was
not affected by the gladiators, the gladiators were
affected by the geography. The land conquered
by the Romans, combined with the armies they
defeated dictated who would become the
gladiators.
Social: The battles of the Gladiators were a
main form of entertainment for the Romans.
They were seen fighting at venues such as
theatres, amphitheatres, the circus, and the
Roman Forum. These made a bloodlust an
acceptable ideal in society. It is believed that
these fighters were idolized by the women of
society, and looked upon as we look upon
athletes or celebrities today.
Political: Members of the nobility often
hired the gladiators. The politicians
were the ones fuelling the use of
gladiators as entertainment. Though not
having any direct power, the gladiators
were idolized. This meant that
politicians would try to hire the more
popular gladiators in order to gain votes
and popularity. Later, the battles were a
place where commoners could inform
nobility of their opinions on society, and
get their voices heard.
Economic: The gladiators caused
wealthy nobility to spend money on hiring
gladiators to fight. This means that the
battles allowed money to reach the slave
population of Rome. The status of
gladiator allowed slaves and members of
defeated armies to regain a semblance of
status in society, because they were paid
for their fighting, and could possibly be
freed after fighting for three to five years.
Despite the perception that most
gladiators fought to the death, few battles
ended in such bloodshed due to the
costly nature of the training of gladiators.
Also, the host of the event would be
charged far more by the trainers if the
gladiator died.
Religious: The spectacles of a
gladiator battle were frowned upon by
the church. Ironically enough, this
wasn’t because of the violent nature of
the battles, but because of the
frenzied uproar that they drove the
crowds to, causing many of the
audience to loose their abandon.
Cultural: This was a form of entertainment for over 7
centuries. This was a way of life for them, and was
an expected practice. The wealthy and the nobility
would be expected to provide such entertainment,
especially during peace times when there was no war
to satisfy the bloodlust.
Military: The gladiators were often
members of defeated armies. They
were often forced to fight in their
own cultural style, and with their
traditional weapons. This allowed
the Romans to thoroughly analyse
and use the fighting techniques of
their enemies.
Gladiator shield
Technological: Because
gladiators were so culturally
diverse, they often fought with
weapons of their own originality
to make things more
interesting. Like fighting
techniques, these different
types of weapons were added
to Rome’s vast arsenal.
Geography: The legions were the armed forces
of Rome and were therefore responsible for
increasing Rome’s boundaries, and defending
the Roman Empire on any terrain.
Social: At one point in time, the legions
consisted of all free males who owned property,
and were citizens. It was expected of the
Romans to fight in the army. This meant that it
was expected, socially, for men to be involved
in battle.
Cultural: Originally, legions were not full
forces. They were put together when needed,
and disbanded when no longer necessary. It
was socially acceptable for Romans to enjoy
the bloody spectacle of battle, so their
immediate lives involved the legions, and most
likely being a member of one when necessary.
Aerial view of a Roman Army
Political: The leader of each
legion was often a governor of
the area in which their legion
resided. This gave each force an
element of control, despite being
governed by a higher official.
Works Cited List
Coleman, Professor Kathleen. Ancient History Romans. 19 08. 2003. 9 May 2006
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/gladiators_01.shtml>.
Discovery channel. Ancient Rome. 25 Mar. 2003. 9 May 2006 <http://www.exn.ca/rome/gladiator.htm>.
Dunkle, Roger. Roman Gladiatorial Games. 11 08. 2002. 9 May 2006
<http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/gladiatr/index.htm>.
Newman, Garfield. Echoes from the Past: World History to the 16th Century.
McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2001.
no organization. Gladiators.. 9 May 2006
<http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/gla
diators.html>.