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Hundreds of thousands of people were sent to their deaths in the amphitheatres of ancient Rome. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Not only do you find out what life was like as a gladiator, but you also get a gentle feel for life in Ancient Rome in general, such as the importance of the baying mob in the amphitheatres, the misery that slaves had to put up with as well as some anecdotes on the more wacky Roman emperors.
The next time you watch The Gladiator after having read this book, you'll appreciate more the storyline as well as the scenes in the Colosseum.
The longest section in the book is a fictional account of a typical day at the Games - it's gripping stuff - the fight between the bull and bear is the business.
While reading it you wonder, if these games used to be accepted as moral by human beings, who's to say they might not find a place again in a future society where even shorter attention spans than today and a lust for violence pervade, a la Rollerball?
The Romans used to treat the games as a holiday and they were so immune to the sight of death, and human life was held in such disregard that they would cheer and shout at the demise of a fallen warrior, just as modern day people would at the scoring of a goal at a football match.
The gladiators life was inevitably short and violent, but not all contests were fought to the death, it took a tremendous amount of time and money to train a fighter and their "managers" did not like to see their investment terminated.
Even free men chose to take of the life of a gladiator. They could gain great wealth if they were successful and were much beloved by many of the women of Rome.
There were many different types of gladiators, some using a short sword and shield, others a net and a trident. They are all named and described in the book.
Man was not always pitted against man, sometimes a gladiator would be paired against a wild animal or a pack of animals.
The book gives you a real feel of what it would really be like to stride out of the dark into the bright sunshine and burning sand of the arena. Possibly with a slave with a red hot iron egging you on if you were a bit hesitant, and the loser would certainly be marked with the hot iron to ensure that he was dead.
The decisive factor that makes this book standout from the crowd is the intimate way that it has been researched, which becomes apparent in two forms: 1. The living nature of the narrative, rather than being merely a list of dates and Monty Pythonesque names. 2. More significantly, Baker doesn't place the games in a separate sphere from our own contemporary society - he points out how the values and entertainments that underpin Western culture are not so very distant, temporally or philosophically, from those of Rome. Its also excellent value and would make a great gift for anyone with even a passing interest in history.
this was a real insight to the lives of the gladiators It was there epic cinema of the time... Read more
The Romans used to treat the games as a holiday and they were so immune to... Read more
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