Roman Gladiator Celebrities

Hello one and all!

In gladiatorial spectacles the violence was turned into a spectacle to entertain the masses in the Roman state. The Roman Republic and Empire had been fueled by military conquest, and these brought an influx of prisoners of war, who would sometime be forced to take part in these contests.

Roman Gladiator Celebrities

Undeniably some of the biggest superstars in Roman society were the gladiators. The popularity of the games can be seen in the numbers, during one day of games at the Colosseum: 3000 men fought on one day and on another 9000 animals were killed. These performances were cheered on by up to 50 000 spectators, which must have resulted in an atmosphere akin to modern sport events. The images of successful gladiators could be seen gracing many public walls (sometimes even life-size portraits), and children played with gladiator action figurines. Some of these ancient celebrities even endorsed products. There were female gladiators as well, and some of them were free women of high status who chose to take part.

 Bas relief in the Colosseum of gladiators fighting

Hundreds of Roman artifacts have been found that depict gladiatorial combat-lamps, figurines, and sculptures. These warriors seem to have been particularly popular with women, many female fans wore hairpins and jewelry that was dipped in the blood of gladiators. In fact, gladiator blood and body products were seen to be very beneficial and there was a booming trade in it. People mixed the sweat of gladiators (which was considered an aphrodisiac) into face creams. The sweat was sold in souvenir pots which was a popular memento. Consuming a gladiator’s blood or liver was considered by medical “experts” to cure epilepsy too. The belief that the blood of an executed person had special properties that could cure epilepsy continued up until the early 20th century.

A mosaic from the 4th Century BC, which depicts showing a retiarius (net-fighter) named Kalendio fighting a secutor named Astyanax.

These shows were reaffirmations of public order through the sacrifice of human victims. The emperors realized that the gladiatorial performances acted as a safety valve for tensions in society, and as a result no expense was spared. For example, when the Colosseum was dedicated in 80 CE there were 100 days of games. In a sense, the audience experienced some schadenfreude, grateful that, no matter how hard their lives may be, at least they weren't fighting for their lives.

                                                                          Two Roman Terracotta Gladiator figurines.

Certain people, like philosophers, objected to the gladiatorial games, but the events persisted until the early fifth century CE, and the killing of wild animals until the sixth century CE. Gladiators were the celebrities of Roman society, despite the fact that their fame was so transient.

Thank you for reading!