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What was It Really Like to Be a Gladiator?
Gladiatorial combat may seem outdated and barbaric, but it is, at its
heart, a combat sport like mixed martial arts, boxing, and even
professional wrestling, with very similar appeal. There were clearly
defined rules, a sense of dramatic flair with costumes, and even
character archetypes. It was indeed bloody, but not as nearly as fatal
as many think today. Not every gladiator died in the arena, and those
who made it past their first handful of matches even less so beyond.
That isn’t to say that gladiator fights didn’t also come with many
deaths. For example, gladiator combat was usually accompanied by other
events such as parades, animal hunts, glorified prisoner executions
dressed up as combat practice for gladiators, and even occasional
audience fatalities. But how did the games get started, what was life
actually like for a typical gladiator, and how did these ubiquitous
games rather suddenly cease to be a thing after so many centuries of
widespread extreme popularity?
Sponsor: Incogni - Use code BRAINFOOD and get 60% off an annual plan using the link https://incogni.com/brainfood
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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By Cloud10Gladiatorial combat may seem outdated and barbaric, but it is, at its
heart, a combat sport like mixed martial arts, boxing, and even
professional wrestling, with very similar appeal. There were clearly
defined rules, a sense of dramatic flair with costumes, and even
character archetypes. It was indeed bloody, but not as nearly as fatal
as many think today. Not every gladiator died in the arena, and those
who made it past their first handful of matches even less so beyond.
That isn’t to say that gladiator fights didn’t also come with many
deaths. For example, gladiator combat was usually accompanied by other
events such as parades, animal hunts, glorified prisoner executions
dressed up as combat practice for gladiators, and even occasional
audience fatalities. But how did the games get started, what was life
actually like for a typical gladiator, and how did these ubiquitous
games rather suddenly cease to be a thing after so many centuries of
widespread extreme popularity?
Sponsor: Incogni - Use code BRAINFOOD and get 60% off an annual plan using the link https://incogni.com/brainfood
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices