Gladiators: Games of Death in Ancient Rome

The violent and blood-drenched gladiatorial games are an iconic and enduring element of ancient Roman civilization.

Men (and women) bled and died in the arena for sport and entertainment, and the Romans ate it up for centuries. Even today gladiatorial combats are featured prominently in sword and sandal cinema (Gladiator) and television (Rome, Spartacus).

In this class we'll explore the origins of gladiatorial games, who the gladiators were (not all of them were slaves) and why they participated in these combats, the different types of gladiators and gladiatorial contests, why the games were so popular in ancient Rome and the place they held in Roman society, and, finally, why the games, as all things, came to an end.