“Gladius,” because they would fight with swords. To become a Gladiator you were either a prisoner of war or a slave. How would you become a Gladiator from being a slave? Well, because they were strong and were able to fight. Why would some volunteer? Gladiator volunteers were free citizens who gave up their rights to be free. It is known that Gladiator life was easier …show more content…
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History and Origin of the Roman Gladiators
Gladiatorial combat was a religious event. The games and training was adopted from the
Etruscans, but there is little evidence to support that statement. The Greeks, like in Homer’s lliad, held funeral games in the honor of the fallen fellow Gladiators. The Roman historian Livy wrote the first ever known gladiatorial games, which were held in 310 BCE. These games were held as re-enactment of the military Campanians’ success. The first known gladiatorial game was held in the tear of 246 BCE by Decimus Brutus and Brother Marcus. This game was in the honor of their father Junius Brutus. It was a small affair. Gladiatorial games reached spectacular heights in the number of the monumental venues. In the year of 183 BCE, it was a tradition to hold a game with 60 duels that took place. In 64 BCE, Julius Caesar had added 260 duels of pairs of gladiators to fight against each other. By now, the gladiatorial games had been made a big jump beyond being religious games or event. They started fighting in stone amphitheater known as the