1.

Go to “origins” of Gladiators fights and find out the meaning of the

word Munus.

The Munus was the ceremony held to honour the deceased. It served to keep a
memory of the Gladiators who had died in combat.

2. Go to “Gladiator” and (a) describe what life was like for a Gladiator and
(b) what advantage did his life offer him? And (c) Who was the Lanista?

(A) The Gladiators life was hard and socially challenging. However, they
were admired by people, not because of their social status but because
of their bravery and daring and prowess in battle. The Gladiators were
usually chosen from criminals who were forced to become Gladiators.
However, in some circumstances, men who were low financially, or
wanted to win some money, volunteered to enter the games. These
people gave up all their social status and forfeited all rights as a
human, to become a Gladiator amongst the criminals and slaves.
(B) The advantage that a Gladiator’s life offered was a chance of fame and
glory. The chance for this was extrememy slim for there were many
dangerous beasts and people you had to battle, and survival was
limited. However, if, in some cases, you did manage to win many
battles, you would be held in the highest degree of respect, not to
mention rich and famous.
(C) A Lanista was the name given to Gladiators who were owned by
someone. They were trained in Lanista schools.

3. Go to ‘Types Of Gladiators” and describe what type of Gladiator were the

following-Secutor, Retiarus, Murmillo, Thraex.

SECUTOR

The secutor was armed with a sword, oblong shield and a dagger. The secutor was
one of the most armed and protected Gladiators. This was a disadvantage in the way
that they weren’t lighter and therefore couldn’t run and dodge faster, but had the
advantage of being highly protected with lots of armour and a helmet, not to mention
a shield and sword.

RETIARUS

The retiarus was one of the most unprotected Gladiators. They carried a net, trident
and a dagger. The retiarus had the advantage of being light and agile. He could
dodge most attacks and run away from most dangers. However, the retiarus had a
disadvantage of beign lightly protected. This would result in almost instant wounding
form a blow or hit.
MURMILLO

The murmillo was another type of Gladiator. Its name is derived from the Greek word
meaning “fish”. This was because the helmet that the Gladiator wore resembled a
fish. The murmillo was also heavily armoured and had similar weapons and armour
to the Secutor. The murmillo had the same advantages and disadvantages as the
secutor.

THRAEX

The thraex was similar to the murmillo in all but helmet and shield. Whilst the
murmillo had a small, rectangular shield, the murmillo had a larger oblong shaped
shield.

4. Go to ‘ampitheartre’ and answer the following:

(e) Where did Gladiatorial fights occur before the Colossuem?

The gladiator fights were staged in the Forum, Circus Maximus and other sites.

(f) What does the name ‘Colosseum’ come from?

The name Colosseum came from a large statue of Nero that was located in the area
near this amphitheater.

(g) What is meant by ‘the ampitheatre was the microcosm of the Roman
society’?

This means that the colosseum represented the social status of one. For example,
the lower class people would be seated in the worst seats with the slaves and the
poorer population of the city.

(h) What 4 things did the ampitheatre symbolise?

The Ampitheatre was a place of civilized order where the victory of civilization over
evil, unlawful and savage things was often acted. The ampitheatre symbolised
justice, for criminals were executed there. It also represented the domination of
Rome over its enemies; many prisoners of war were taken and killed or forced to
fight to the death. For professional gladiators, however, the amphitheater was also a
place of salvation, in which they could overcome death by victory.
5. Go to ‘Culture I and Culture II’ and answer the following:

(c) What does the Gladiatorial contest reveal about the Romans?

The Gladiatorial games reveals that the Romans where somewhat bloodthirsty and
cruel, for they regarded anyone who did not come simply because of the bloodshed
as “faint hearted and Un-roman morals”.

(d) Why should we view these games in context of the Roman culture?

We should do this because the Gladiatorial games were a part of every Roman; they
all enjoyed the bloodshed and death that the arena brought.

6. Go to Venatio I and Venatio II and answer the following:

(e) What was the Venatio?

Venatio was another game that included hunting animals. It was a warm up for the
Gladiatorial battles in the afternoon.

(f) Where and when was it held?

The Venatio was held in the morning. It was held in the colosseum, and before that,
the circus maximus.

(g) What types of performances were held?

The first performance was the hunting. After came the circus shows, which, in a way,
were more appreciated then the brutal killing of the animals. The crowd was amazed
as tame animals did many tricks, such as standing on hind legs, or jumping through
rings of fire. Then, came the animal fights. Animals of similar stature were pitted
against each other. Elephants fought bulls and lions fought tigers. It was really quite
exhilarating.

(h) What measures were taken to protect spectators from wild animals?

Some measures taken included putting marble around the edges so that the animals
couldn’t climb out, netting the edges and small balconies of archers in case the
animal made it through the principle line of defence.

©Nathan Xie 7S®