Gladiator prisoners of war

[fsultana]

Hi,
This is my first question, but just wanted to also comment on the great source of knowledge available on this forum. It's great!
I assume that the majority of gladiators originated as prisoners of war, as these individuals would be best suited to combat in the arena. What would happen in times of relative peace when the frontiers were quiet or not being advanced? Where would the gladiators be sourced from?

[Medusa Gladiatrix]

Gladiators were recruited in the beginning indeed mainly from prisoners of war who most probably fought in their indigene weapons therefore early gladiator types bear names such as Samnite or Thracian. Their weaponry got adjusted later to the needs of the arena.

Another source were always slaves and at some time it was forbidden to sell a slave to a ludus because many slave owners might have done so with insubordinate slaves.

There was also a punishment for non-Roman criminals to be sent to the ludus (ad ludos) which was more favorable than to the wild animals (ad bestias) or to the sword (ad gladios) meaning without any training fighting.

But there were also volunteers (auctorati) who signed a contract with a lanista (owner of gladiator school).

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi fsultana,

Please write your real (first) name in your signature, which you can find in your profile. it's a forum rule.

[fsultana]

I just have problems understanding how the countless arenas across the Empire were fed at sometimes by only "common" slaves, criminals and the odd volunteer. The quality of "common" slave would IMO have to be of a certain standard - there would be little use of a soft household slave surely, for little more than cannon fodder? At least "farming" slaves would be a little hardier?

[Medusa Gladiatrix]

You have to distinct between the "cannon fodder" which appeared at the noon time executions and the gladiators who were trained professionals. If you sell a "common" slave to a ludus he will get there a professional training and that every day. A tiro gladiator trained at least half a year before he had his first public bout in an arena. Every gladiator received the same training, no matter if prisoner of war, slave or volunteer. Volunteers might leave the ludus after training living in an appartment somewhere else in the city while the slaves and prisoners of war retired to their cells in the ludus after dinner.

It would be bad luck for an insubordinate household slave if he was sold to a ludus but most likely the household slaves such as secretaries, teachers etc. had a good position so they were loyal to their master. Most likely kitchen aids etc. were those who could get insubordinate and would be sold, because they had to do the hard labor which they might not like.

Yes, there were countless small arenas all over the Roman Empire. But not at each arena took a munus place at the same time. No, there were indeed itinerant gladiator troupes traveling around the country who fought in these arenas.

[john m roberts]

The great number of arenas found throughout the Empire has led to the Hollywood-style misconception that vast numbers of gladiators were fed into them yearly. The great shows were only seen in a few major urban amphitheaters such as those at Rome, Ephesus, Leptis Magna and a few others. And only an emperor could afford to put on munera exhibiting hundreds of pairs of gladiators. At a medium-sized amphitheater like that of Pompeii, we know from surviving advertisements that a show put on by a local magistrate would feature perhaps 20-40 pairs. The vast majority of provincial arenas probably featured munera only once ort twice per year, with no more than a dozen pairs featured at each show. There would be more bull-and bear-baiting at such arenas. A few itinerant familias such as Medusa mentions would have been sufficient to provide gladiators for a whole province.

[M. Demetrius]

Don't forget that the majority of the "professional gladiator" events didn't end in death. For those who were condemned to the arena, there was little chance that they would not be killed. It was just a form of public execution for them. It's been a while, but somewhere there is a gravestone of a gladiator that says something like "21 fights, 20 victories".

I haven't read of any of those fighting well enough to be adopted by a lanista and made into a pro, but I suppose it's possible, depending on the decision of the crowd and the governing official (I guess he'd have to commute the sentence).

[john m roberts]

Another consideration is the nature of those POWs. Trained soldiers or tribal warriors might be deemed too dangerous for domestic service and even too unruly for the ludus. It would be these prisoners who would be featured in the "battles" of the arena, often reenacting famous battles of history. It was a good way to dispose of surplus prisoners.

[fsultana]

So the consensus is that most trained gladiators originated as slaves or criminals? Perhaps only after a major incursion, where many prisoners were taken were POWs even used.

[john m roberts]

We don't have figures, but an amazing number seem to have been volunteers. This could be because free men would be more likely to have families to give them tombstones so they are disproportionately represented, but literary sources also suggest large numbers of free volunteer gladiators. For some it was a matter of mere poverty, just as in modern boxing. But there was a tremendous attraction to the arena, so much so that emperors had to pass laws in an attempt to stem the numbers of well-born men (and women) "disgracing" themselves, and by extension their whole social class, by fighting in the arena. Some provincial shows were organized somewhat like carnivals, with country boys enticed to "step right up and fight the champ" for a money prize. Farm lads would, of course, have little chance against a trained professional. Petronius's rag merchant mentions an upcoming munera where the fighters would be "not slaves, but free men for the most part."
Plus, there were those who signed back on after having served out their sentences. These were technically free and would have been established champions just by having survived.