Ancient Rome is famous for its cruel and bloody entertainments. Most of all, people liked to look at ruthless gladiatorial battles. As a public sight, this phenomenon arose at the beginning of the 2nd century BC and instantly gained immense popularity.
Gladiators (from the Latin. "Swordsman") were called fighters who fought with other gladiators to the amusement of the public. Many slaves wanted to become gladiators, since they could win over the public and gain freedom.
Often people were “sold” to gladiators - so not only the Romans, but also representatives of other countries appeared in the arena. Free people were pushed into this business by the desire for fame and the need for money.
The swordsmen were strong fighters, trained in difficult conditions, where the weak simply did not survive. The names of some are known to this day. Introducing the 10 most famous Roman gladiators in history.
10. Mark Atilius
Participation in battles was considered a matter unworthy of a free man. But although Mark Atilius was a Roman citizen, he still went to the school of gladiators. The reason for this was poverty - performances in the arena could help Atilius pay off many of his debts accumulated over his life.
In the first battle, Mark defeated Hilario - the gladiator of the ruler Nero himself. In the next match, Atilius lost the warrior, who was invincible for 12 battles in a row - Lucius Raecius Felix.
9. Flamma
Like many gladiators, Flammes there was a catchy name. It translates as Flame. A slave from Syria earned this nickname. Flamma is famous for his devotion to the profession until the end of his life (which, incidentally, was short-lived - he lived only 30 years).
Four times he received the status of a rudiarium - a free warrior, but time after time he returned and entered into new contracts with gladiator schools. And not surprisingly, the Rudians were loved by the public and received huge rewards for fighting compared to newcomers.
Over 30 years of his life, Flamma managed to conduct 34 fights, 9 of which were in a draw. The famous Syrian gladiator won 21 battles, and lost only 4 - one of which was the last in his life.
8. Crixus
Crixus remained in history as one of the leaders of the uprising of Spartacus. In 73 BC Dozens of slaves, led by Crixus, Spartacus, and Enomai, escaped from the gladiatorial school in Capua and began to prepare an uprising.
A year later, when the leaders gathered an entire army of slaves, the Gaul (the so-called Crixus) separated from the main army of Spartacus and moved to southern Italy. According to one version, it was a distraction to knock opponents off the road to Spartak. Other researchers believe that the warrior did so because of arrogance.
In 72 BC Crixus and his squad fought against the troops of the Consul Lucius Gellius of Publica. The gladiator showed courage and fiercely fought, he stabbed at least a dozen legionnaires. During the battle, the warrior was pierced with a spear and beheaded.
Here is what Spartak said about his comrade: "Crixus was a brave and skillful warrior, but a very poor commander, which killed him."
7. Lentul Batiat
Lentulus Batitat - Founder of the gladiatorial school in Capua. It was to this school in 73 BC escaped the famous Spartak with followers.
Batitat had a successful career in the arena, and the school he created became a model in ancient Rome.
He coached the strongest gladiators and arranged the most interesting shows that they even put on at the Coliseum.
6. Guy Gannick
Guy Gannicus went down in history as a friend of Spartacus. He led one of the rebel squads. The origin of Guy remains a mystery - neither the date of his birth, nor the country is known.
Some researchers believe that he is a Celt, others that he is a Gall, and others that Gannik belonged to the Samnites - the ancient Italian people.
One way or another, the warrior ended up in Lentulus Batitat's school as a prisoner of war from Gaul. It was believed that he was the best gladiator of Capua.
In 71 BC the army of Spartacus went to Brundisy, and the twelve thousandth army lagged behind. This detachment was led by the gladiators Guy Gannick and Cast. But the Roman army was too strong for such an army - Guy heroically died along with the rest of the slaves.
5. Karpofor
Bestiaries are specially trained people who train animals or fight them in the arena. The most famous representative of this profession was Karpofor.
The future bestiary was a poor orphan. In order to somehow survive, he settled in a circus and began to care for animals and clean gladiatorial armor.
From childhood, Karpophor showed a talent for training - he arranged his own performances with dogs that "answered" to any of his questions.
Once he saved a trainer from an attacking bear. One of the instructors found out about this case and accepted the boy to his school.
The dislike of peers did not prevent Karpophor from becoming famous. One day, the instructor became very angry and sent the young man to be torn to pieces by the leopards. Karpophor knew animal habits too well - he quickly pitted them with each other. Spectators were so struck by what was happening that they demanded to spare the bestiary. Since then, Karpophor has become famous.
His ideas were cruel - he killed animals in front of the crowd, but at that time such "shows" were the most demanded by the mob.
4. Commodus
The emperor Commodus remembered as the corrupt and insane ruler with whom the decline of the Roman Empire began. No one took him. Commodus himself proclaimed himself the personification of Hercules and fought in gladiatorial battles.
Participation in these battles was considered an unworthy occupation by noble people, but Commodus still did not care about public opinion. Each of his entry into the arena, of which there were 735, was recorded in the archives.
According to Kommod’s contemporaries, he skillfully handled weapons and was a good warrior. In the battles, his opponents were not only people, but also wild animals.
Of all the fights, the emperor always came out victorious: his rivals could not afford to harm the ruler, and animals often created conditions in which they could not do harm.
Under him, the gladiatorial battles became so bloody that it terrified even fans of such entertainments.
3. Spiculus
Emperor Nero distinguished this gladiator from the others, since the latter was the most experienced and skilled warrior.
Spiculus He was the personal guard of the ruling family and the head of the imperial horse guard. It was she who remained faithful to Nero during the uprising. The emperor wanted to ask Spiculus to kill him, but it was at this time that the gladiator was not in the palace. Then the ruler committed suicide.
After the death of the emperor, persecutions of his associates opened. In 68 A.D. Spicula was caught and hit on the statue of Nero. As a result, not the former ruler died at the hands of Spiculus, but vice versa.
2. Gerardesca Manutius
Female gladiatorial battles were very popular in ancient Rome. The most famous of the gladiators was Gerardesca Manutius.
The twenty-eight-year-old woman was one of Spartak's henchmen and fled with his army.
Gerardeska was captured, but she was spared and sent to the school of gladiators. She entered the arena a year before her death, but instantly became a celebrity.
The beautiful woman with perfect proportions and black hair fought like an Amazon, during her life she killed more than two hundred opponents of both sexes in the arena. In the first battle, a woman in five minutes defeated the strong fighter Tracian.
Gerardeska won fame - for 11 months no one could compare with a woman in power. But she died in a battle against two dwarfs, after which her body was unceremoniously thrown into the basement with the rest of the dead.
1. Spartak
The most famous gladiator in history, whose name is given to children and football teams, is Spartacus.
It is believed that Spartak was a Thracian. However, in those years, all gladiators, regardless of their origin, were divided into Thracians and Gauls - depending on the type of battle. So the rebel could be a Roman.
Spartak studied at the Lentula Batitata School. Interestingly, the gladiator studied the works of the philosopher Guy Blossius, who said: "The latter will be the first and vice versa."
In 73 BC Spartacus gathered people and staged a revolt. Contrary to popular belief, this was not a fight against slavery, although there were slaves in the team.
Initially, the Spartak group consisted of 70 followers and four leaders. The participants stocked up on weapons of their own school and fled towards Naples, enriching the team with runaway slaves along the way. Thus, after a couple of years, the army of Spartak totaled more than 120 thousand people.
The rebels were disciplined and dressed in the fashion of the Roman army. The uprising was so large that it threatened the existence of the state, so the best military forces of Rome were sent to fight with the participants. Spartak and his army were defeated.