Popular media, such as the 2000 film “Gladiator,” often depict Roman gladiators in gory battles that don’t end until at least one of the fighters is slain. But in real life, did gladiators really fight to the death?
In fact, sometimes they did, but not always, experts told Live Science. Alfonso Manas, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley who has studied gladiators extensively, said evidence indicates that the mortality rate of gladiators varied considerably over time.
For instance, tomb paintings dating to the fourth century B.C. at the site of Paestum a Greek city in Italy that eventually came under Roman rule, show that the “gladiators are receiving terrible wounds,” such as spears getting stuck in their opponent’s head, that would have been fatal, Manas told Live Science in an email. This suggests that many early gladiator fights ended in the death of one or both fighters.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
