Gladiators Essay

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Gladiator Schools Gladiator schools or Ludi Gladiatorium were relatively common around the Roman Empire. It is estimated that there were more than 100 altogether. These gladiator schools functioned as a barracks or in some cases a prison for their gladiatorial inhabitants between fights. Newly recruited gladiators formed into troupes called familia gladiatorium which were under the overall command of a manager or lanista who scheduled fights, training and new gladiators. The lanista could also hire out the gladiators to ensure the success of particular gladiatorial games. Wealthy Romans were able to invest in a certain troupe of gladiators and reap their share in the money gained. Gladiator schools provided excellent training in weapons and combat techniques. When a new recruit or novicius entered a gladiator school he would be assessed. He would first be checked by a medici to determine whether he would be able to withstand the hardship of training. Any unattractive person would be excluded as the spectators only liked good-looking people. The medici would then study their physique and accordingly decide what sort of gladiator it would be appropriate to train them as [See 'types of gladiators']. The gladiator trainers (doctores) specialised in specific types of gladiators e.g. the trainer of a Retiarius would be called Doctores Retiarii. When a man was accepted into a school and finished his initial training he would referred to as Tirones Gladiatores or as the crowd called them Tiro. However if they survived their first fight they would be re-named: Veteranus. Gladiatorial Training Gladiatorial training starts with a novicius (new gladiator) getting to his peak fitness. However, he does not train with real weapons as that could be a potential safety hazard for trainers and staff. Instead he would use a wooden sword called a rudus. A rudus is also given to

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