GladiatorsBarnes & Noble Publishing, 1995 - 128 pages "Gladiators, an exciting account of the ancient Roman institution of arena combat, traces the bloody 800-year history of the bustuarii from their rise during the third century B.C. to their eventual abolition at the end of the fifth century A.D. The popularity of gladiatorial combat dramatizes the paradox of Roman civilization: poets, philosophers, and politicians glorifying this brutal and savage institution in a culture remarkable for its contributions to government, law, literature, philosophy, and art--a culture that was a cornerstone of Western civilization. Although no amount of explanation can mitigate the savagery, in some ways good things came out of this almost-supreme evil. It brought forth countless acts if individual courage, it created one of the world's greatest architectural forms, and it inspired a number of thoughtful men to write down violent protests that stood firm against this overwhelming tide of brutality. Illustrations of mosaics, statuettes, reliefs, and the remains of arenas and amphitheaters illuminate the text."--Provided by publisher |
Contents
Introduction | 7 |
The Gladiators Profession | 28 |
Gladiators in Action | 58 |
The Gladiators and their Public | 92 |
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Common terms and phrases
aediles amphitheatre ancient animal arena armour arms Asia Minor Augustus blood brutal building Caesar Caligula Campania Capua century BC Christian Cicero Claudius Colosseum Commodus Crassus criminals crowd cruelty death Dio Cassius Domitian duels emperor empire entertainments epitaph Etruria Etruscan example eyes fight fighters fought funeral Galleria Borghese Gaul Gaulish gave gladiatorial combats gladiatorial contests gladiatorial displays gladiatorial games gladiatorial schools gladiatorial shows gladiators gladiators known Gladiatress Greek helmet Hermes honour human inscriptions Italy killed lanista later Marcus Aurelius Martial murder Museo Nazionale myrmillo Nero Nero's occasion official Petronius Pliny Pompeii popular praetors priests prisoners provinces record relief retiarius Roman Rome Rome's rulers sadism Samnite savagery sea-battle seats second century secutor senate Seneca Severus slaughter slaves sometimes sort Spartacus spectators sport Suetonius survived Tacitus tells theatre Thracian Tiberius tion Titus towns trans troops of gladiators victims victory Vitellius weapons wild beasts wild-beast hunts wounds