The Romans and the early Gladiators

By Leila

Who were the Romans?• The Romans were the people who lived in Rome

the capital of Italy more than 2000 years ago.• In 100 A.D. they became one of the most

powerful empires thanks to their army.• The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain in

the north to northern Africa in the south.• If you were to travel across the whole Roman

Empire by horse it would take more than 100 days

The Roman Empire at its Height

Who founded Rome

• According to a legend, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by the brothers Romulus and Remus who were the sons of the war god Mars

• Over time, Rome was governed:– By kings,– Then by elected rulers (counsels)– Finally by emperors

Who were the Gladiators

• Admired by men and adored by women, Gladiators were trained fighters who entertained the crowds in ancient Rome

• Famous gladiators had large following loyal fans

• Most gladiators were slaves or prisoners, even criminals but there were also ordinary people who chose to become gladiators

The First Gladiators• The very first gladiator fights were at funerals of important

roman officials• They used 2 slaves to fight against each other to death• Some Romans thought that the tradition of gladiator fights

came from the Etruscans whose Kings were very powerful in the early days of Rome: they killed prisoners at the funerals of brave warriors. They believed this would help their spirits go to the next world. The aim was to stop his ghost from coming back to haunt the living

• Today, we think the idea came from the Greeks who had settled down in Campania in Southern Italy: they had funeral contests with chariot races, fit fights and fighting warriors

Gladiators wore protective clothing

• Over time gladiators began to wear protective clothing to make the fights last longer

• Each fighter carried a short sword called a gladius which is how the gladiators got their name from