Pompeii began as a settlement of small fishing and agricultural communities. In 80 BCE, it was incorporated into the Roman Empire when the Roman dictator Sulla settled about 5,000 Roman veterans and their families in the city. Local inhabitants were displaced, and the city was renamed Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum, indicating its status as a colony.
While Pompeii was not a particularly important town within the Roman empire, it had a population of 10-12,000 and many wealthy Romans built houses there.
On August 24, 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy erupted. By the end of the day, the Roman port city of Pompeii was covered by 20 feet of ash and rock. The city lay forgotten until the eighteenth century. Archaeological excavations began in 1748 and are still being done. Almost three quarters of the city has been uncovered and a number of buildings restored. Among the structures which have been uncovered is an amphitheater which had a seating capacity of about 20,000. Located near the amphitheater is the barracks which housed the gladiators who performed in the games.
Rome and Roman life often conjure up images of gladiators fighting to the death before large crowds. In the beginning gladiatorial combats were performed at funerals as it was believed that the dead appreciated human blood. The first gladiatorial combats mentioned in the historical records took place in 264 BCE at the funeral of Marcus Iunius Brutus. As the extravagance of the games increased, the emperor became one of the main providers of the games. In his book Roman Empire, Nigel Rodgers writes:
“Games were often staged as part of ceremonies to do with the imperial cult in the provinces or with triumphs in Rome under the emperors.”
In their book Pompeii and Herculaneum: A Sourcebook, Alison Cooley and M.G.L. Cooley report:
“Spectators were divided up and allocated seats in different parts of the auditorium according to social status. Intermingling of the common crowd with the elite was avoided; a system of separate entrances and tunnels gave access to the lower tiers of seating, while external staircases led directly to the upper tiers for the masses.”
The Oregon Museum of Science and Technology (OMSI) in Portland had a special exhibit on Pompeii which included more than 200 items on loan from the Naples National Archaeological Museum. One of the displays in this exhibit focused on the gladiators who performed in the amphitheater.
The Museum display refers to the gladiators as the “Rock Stars” of Roman society. According to the display:
“Originally part of religious ceremonies, gladiatorial games became blood sports that celebrated the Emperor, military victories, and new official monuments. The amphitheater at Pompeii had a capacity of 20,000—a huge number of people in ancient times. Upcoming games were promoted on ads painted along main roads.”
Gladiators received the best healthcare and finest foods. Many were slaves, trained in special schools. Those who survived long enough had the opportunity to buy their freedom.”
According to the Museum display:
“The gladiatorial game is a concept that was unique to the Roman world. Once tied to funerals, this concept changed and evolved—eventually becoming a useful instrument of social control and spectacle. These games were announced and advertised weeks in advance of the event, similar to a modern day rock concert. The games were an interactive experience, where the audience was invited to weigh in on the fate of the loser.”
At gladiatorial school, each prospective gladiator would be trained in one combat specialty which required a special weapon and combat techniques. For example, the murmillo fought with a straight sword and for protection was allowed a shin guard on the left leg, a protective guard on the right arm, a tall rectangular shield, and a helmet with a crest on top; the thraex fought with a curved sword and for protection was allowed shin guards on both legs, a small rectangular shield, and a helmet decorated with a griffin; and the retiarius fought with a trident and a net and for protection was allowed a shoulder guard and an armguard on the left arm.
In his section on Rome in The Grammar of the Ancient World, Peter Chrisp reports:
“The murmillo (fish man) was named after the high crest on his helmet, which resembled the dorsal fin of a fish. A heavily armed gladiator, he had the short, stabbing sword, or gladius—which gave gladiators their name—a long, curved shield, like a Roman legionary, and a bronze greave on his left leg.”
The helmet worn by the thraex or Thracian (an ancient Roman enemy) was unlike any helmet actually worn in war. Peter Chrisp also reports:
“The Thracian carried a sword, called a sica, whose curved shape allowed him to thrust around his opponents shield and strike his unprotected back. Thracians were lightly armored and fast and very popular with Roman audiences.”
Nigel Rodgers reports:
“The Retiarius was armed with a rete (net) and a trident and had defensive armour only on his left arm and shoulder. He normally fought one of the more heavily-armed gladiators. Technically, the Retiarius was not a gladiator since he did not have a sword.”
Training of gladiators was arduous and brutal. Nigel Rodgers reports:
“As it took several years to train a skilled gladiator, they did not usually fight to the death.”
Nigel Rodgers also reports:
“There are records of women gladiators who fought each other and wild beasts, but they were less common and in AD 200 were banned altogether.”
According to the Museum display:
“Shin guards, or greaves, were worn by gladiators of all types for protection and to ward off blows during combat. The relief carvings on these shin guards feature Jupiter and Neptune. These greaves still have the rings at the back that would have held leather laces.”
More Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome: The Houses of Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Death in Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Food in Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Theater in Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Glass Bottles (Photo Diary)
Roman Soldiers in Ancient Scotland (Photo Diary)
Ancient Scotland: The Roman Invasion (Photo Diary)