12-29-2011, 03:07 PM
The popular book by V.A.Goroncharovskyi Arena and Death (in Russian: В.А.Горончаровский, Арена и кровь. Римские гладиаторы между жизнью и смертью, Санкт-Петербург "Петербургское Востоковедение" 2009 (Серия "Militaria Antiqua", XIII))contains an information with reference to G. Ville, La gladiature en occident des origins a la mort de Domitien, Rom 1981 that gladiators of 1 BC had a 9:1 chances to live, the gladiators who lost - 4:1. 200 years later the gladiators had 4:1 chances to live, for those who lost - 1:1. The encreasing number of deaths on arena was probably caused by reduction of combats (V.A.Goroncharovskyi, P. 71-72).
