Gladiators HOCPP 1078 Published: January, 2007 Original Copyright May, 2006

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2 Thank you for your purchase from In the Hands of a Child Your Premiere Lapbook Provider since 2002!! Gladiators HOCPP 1078 Published: January, 2007 Original Copyright May, 2006 Authors: Katie Kubesh Niki McNeil Kimm Bellotto For information about other products available from In the Hands of a Child Call or visit our website at Entire contents of this Project Pack 2007 In the Hands of a Child Pierce Street Coloma, MI Permission is hereby granted to the individual purchaser to reproduce student materials in this project pack for noncommercial individual or classroom use only. In the Hands of a Child gives permission for one copy of all written material to be copied and or printed. Classroom teachers have permission to reproduce one copy for each student in class. Members of co-ops or workshops have permission to reproduce one copy for up to 10 children per unit. Reproducible graphics may be reprinted as many times as needed. Permission is not granted for school wide or system wide reproduction of materials. Printed in the USA. 2

3 Table of Contents Roman Gladiators Page 7 Types of Gladiators Page 8 Venatio Page 9 Famous Gladiators Page 9 Terminology Page 10 Gladiatrices Page 10 Training Page 11 Mortal Combat Page 12 Armor Page 12 The Games Page 13 The Spectators Page 14 Vocabulary Page 16 Activity List Page 18 Activity 1 Page 19 Activity 2 Page 22 Activity 3 Page 25 Activity 4 Page 27 Activity 5 Page 29 Activity 6 Page 32 Activity 7 Page 35 Activity 8 Page 38 Activity 9 Page 41 Activity 10 Page 44 Activity 11 Page 46 Activity 12 Page 49 Activity 13 Page 54 Activity 14 Page 54 Activity 15 Page 57 Activity 16 Page 60 Folder Instructions Page 63 6

4 The Roman Gladiator Have you ever watched a football game or a boxing match and thought to yourself, That is a dangerous sport? Well, if you think those sports are dangerous; you should have seen the Arena Games of Ancient Rome! Some people think that Gladiators were Roman soldiers, but that is not so (Roman soldiers were called Legionaries). Who were the Gladiators and what kind of games did they play? Who were the Roman Gladiators? In Ancient Rome, gladiators were professional fighters who fought animals or other gladiators in an amphitheatre. The fights were events that drew many people from all over Rome to watch. There were usually 100 pairs of gladiators matched up to fight each other. For some events, called imperial shows, there were as many as 5,000 pairs of gladiators. Most of the gladiators were slaves from other parts of the Roman Empire that were captured in war, and others were criminals who committed capital crimes, and some were volunteers. Wealthy men called lanistae (plural for lanista), bought slaves for the sole purpose of gladiatorial combat. Criminals, who committed a capital crime, were forced to enter the arena weaponless. Criminals who did not commit a capital crime were trained to become gladiators. Gladiators were trained in special schools, called ludi. At these private schools, gladiators became experts in combat. They Where did the Gladiators fight? Gladiators fought in an arena or an amphitheatre, designed a lot like a football arena. Up until the late first century, gladiators fought in the Forum, the Circus Maximus, and other arenas. Temporary stands made out of wood were put up in the arenas until the first stone amphitheatre was built in 29 BC. The most famous amphitheatre was the Colosseum in Rome. The Colosseum, also called the Flavian Amphitheatre, is the greatest example of engineering from the Ancient Roman Empire. The Colosseum was opened in 80 A.D. by the emperor Titus. The Colosseum could hold about 50,000 people and was designed so that it only took a few minutes for everyone to exit. Four-stories high, the amphitheatre had arched vaults, corridors, and stairways that led to the marble seats. An oval shaped building, the Colosseum was 617 feet (188 m) by 512 feet (156 m). The weight of the seating rested on the arches. On the ground floor, arched vaults formed 80 entrances, each marked with a number to help people find their seats. To provide shade during a sunny day, a huge canvas awning was stretched over the top of the amphitheatre. At night, a huge iron chandelier was hung. The outside of the amphitheatre was decorated with statues. 7

5 learned ways to disable and capture their opponents instead of killing them quickly. Men that trained in gladiator schools fought with the weapon and armor of their choice. Criminals and slaves could earn their freedom if they survived 3-5 years of the gladiator games. Gladiators were only required to fight 2-3 times a year, but few survived the 3-5 years required to earn their freedom. A gladiator earned status among Ancient Romans, but the gladiatorial oath forced him to remain a slave to his master. The oath required gladiators do what their lanista ordered and to endure branding and other abuse. Gladiators were looked up to for their loyalty, courage, and discipline. Gladiators were paid each time they fought. Like professional athletes today, many Ancient Romans believed the gladiators led a glamorous life. Gladiators were considered heroes. Many regular spectators had their favorites. Some men volunteered to be gladiators. The emperor Commodus actually fought in the arena himself. For most gladiators, life was brutal and short. The floor of the arena was where the gladiatorial combats took place. The arena measured 250 feet (76 m) by 151 feet (46 m). The floor of the arena was filled with sand to absorb the blood from the fierce battles. Below the surface was a maze of cells, passages, hidden elevators and trap doors to allow men and animals to appear from underground. Seats closest to the arena in the Colosseum were reserved for the wealthy and prestigious Romans. Gladiatorial combats took place at the Colosseum until 404. Although it has been damaged several times by earthquakes, the Colosseum is still standing today. Types of Gladiators There were different types of gladiators, and the weapons they used or the armor they wore often helped to identify them. Types of gladiators included: Like a fisherman, the Retiarius (net man), had a net and a trident to fight his enemy. He wore only a loincloth, a manica (type of armor) on his left arm, and a metal shoulder cloth. A gladiator who fought animals was called a Bestiarius. Some of these gladiators liked to fight big cats while walking on stilts! Andebate gladiators wore large, visored helmets with eyeholes, chest and back plates, and mail armor on their legs and torso. A Thracian wore ocrea on both legs, carried a small square shield, a helmet, and a curved Thracian sword with an angled blade. 8

6 The Secutor/Samnite fought wearing an ocrea on his left leg, leather bands at his elbows and wrist, and a helmet. He carried a large oval or rectangle shield and a short sword. The Murmillo had a curved, oblong shield and a helmet with a high crest that resembled a fish (the word murmillo comes from a Greek word for a type of fish). A Dimachaerus was a sword fighter who used two swords and no shield. Equestrian gladiators rode horses. They wore chest plates, back plates, and thigh armor. Their weapons included a round shield and a lance. Essedarius gladiators fought from chariots. The Laquearius gladiator was similar to the Retiarius only they used a lance and a lasso instead of a net and trident. Paegniarius gladiators used a whip, club, and a shield that was attached to their left arm with straps. A Provocator carried a round shield and a lance. Tertiarius gladiators were substitute fighters. Sometimes there would be 3 fighters matched and the tertiarius would fight the winner from the first fight. Famous Gladiator Spartacus (?-71 B.C.) was a well-known gladiator and revolutionary in Ancient Rome. Historians believe Spartacus may have served in the Roman army and became an outlaw when he deserted it. He was captured, sold into slavery, and sent to a gladiator training school in Capua. According the famous Greek historian, Plutarch: Spartacus was a Thracian from the nomadic tribes and not only had a great spirit and great physical strength, but was, much more than one would expect from his condition, most intelligent and cultured, being more like a Greek than a Thracian. What was the Venatio? Another form of gladiator games was hunting or slaying wild animals. This was called the Venatio. The emperors did not want the people to become accustomed to the Gladiator fights or become bored so they came up with new ways to amuse the people. Animals that were included in the venatio were lions, elephants, bears, deer, dogs, leopards, wild goats, and camels. Some of the animals were trained to fight or do tricks in the venatio and others were captured. Not many animals survived the venatio but some animals did defeat the hunters, called bestiarius. Thousands of wild animals would be slaughtered in one day. You wouldn t want to commit a crime in Ancient Rome; sometimes the wild animals were brought out simply to kill defenseless criminals. Spectators had to be careful watching the venatio. There were barriers to keep the wild animals from escaping the arena, but very little protection for the crowd with only small walls, nets and shallow ditches between them and the animals. 9