Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
What was the life of a REAL ROMAN GLADIATOR like? Who were the gladiators of ancient Rome and were there female gladiators as well as men? Those are just some of the questions I’ll be discussing this week’s ancient history documentary from History Calling, released to coincide with the new Ridley Scott movie starring Paul Mescal, Edro Pascal and Denzel Washington, titled Gladiator II, a sequel to the 2000 movie Gladiator starring Russell Crowe.
We’ll be looking inside the Colosseum in Rome to understand better what a gladiator fight was like, how gladiators were trained and why gladiator fights were so popular in Rome and beyond for so long, despite their brutality. Some of these battles included pitting gladiators against wild animals or against each other and they could be incredibly elaborate, even involving mock sea battles. We’ll also look at the origins of the word gladiator, how many were slaves and prisoners of war versus volunteers, why someone would volunteer to become a gladiator, what kind of armour gladiators wore and why it was often designed to make them look like Rome’s enemies, the standing of gladiators within Roman society, how gladiator fights were linked to funeral customs, what Christians thought of gladiator fights and why gladiator fights were stopped after around 700 years. Also, did a thumbs down from the Emperor really mean death for a gladiator, or was it the other way around and what’s the story behind the real Spartacus, whose revolt against Rome was made famous by a Kirk Douglas movie?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
DEATH, MURDER AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
THE BIRTH OF THE OLYMPICS
youtu.be/puOXmOANC5g
LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA
youtu.be/KECfzn6FbwU
THE PARTHENON MARBLES
youtu.be/4petLw58Ofg
THE FLAT EARTH MYTH & WHY IT’S DUMB
youtu.be/aVuQ5EsRDpg
HISTORY OF THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
youtu.be/Xd-v7O-ZrMw
LEARN MORE:
Roger Dunkle, Gladiators: Violence and Spectacle in Ancient Rome (Routledge, 2013).
Available at amzn.to/3Ck3MQz
Spartacus (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
amzn.to/48LfhNh
Gladiator (dir. Ridley Scott, 2000)
amzn.to/3AJ2H4r
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Thumbnail: Canva free photos
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#Gladiator #Gladiators #GladiatorII
What was the life of a REAL ROMAN GLADIATOR like? Who were the gladiators of ancient Rome and were there female gladiators as well as men? Those are just some of the questions I’ll be discussing this week’s ancient history documentary from History Calling, released to coincide with the new Ridley Scott movie starring Paul Mescal, Edro Pascal and Denzel Washington, titled Gladiator II, a sequel to the 2000 movie Gladiator starring Russell Crowe.
We’ll be looking inside the Colosseum in Rome to understand better what a gladiator fight was like, how gladiators were trained and why gladiator fights were so popular in Rome and beyond for so long, despite their brutality. Some of these battles included pitting gladiators against wild animals or against each other and they could be incredibly elaborate, even involving mock sea battles. We’ll also look at the origins of the word gladiator, how many were slaves and prisoners of war versus volunteers, why someone would volunteer to become a gladiator, what kind of armour gladiators wore and why it was often designed to make them look like Rome’s enemies, the standing of gladiators within Roman society, how gladiator fights were linked to funeral customs, what Christians thought of gladiator fights and why gladiator fights were stopped after around 700 years. Also, did a thumbs down from the Emperor really mean death for a gladiator, or was it the other way around and what’s the story behind the real Spartacus, whose revolt against Rome was made famous by a Kirk Douglas movie?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
DEATH, MURDER AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
THE BIRTH OF THE OLYMPICS
youtu.be/puOXmOANC5g
LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA
youtu.be/KECfzn6FbwU
THE PARTHENON MARBLES
youtu.be/4petLw58Ofg
THE FLAT EARTH MYTH & WHY IT’S DUMB
youtu.be/aVuQ5EsRDpg
HISTORY OF THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
youtu.be/Xd-v7O-ZrMw
LEARN MORE:
Roger Dunkle, Gladiators: Violence and Spectacle in Ancient Rome (Routledge, 2013).
Available at amzn.to/3Ck3MQz
Spartacus (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
amzn.to/48LfhNh
Gladiator (dir. Ridley Scott, 2000)
amzn.to/3AJ2H4r
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Thumbnail: Canva free photos
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#Gladiator #Gladiators #GladiatorII
