the.com/gladiator
a slave who could become a celebrity by being very good at almost dying
means A man, usually a slave, captive, or condemned criminal, who fought other men or animals in arena combat for the entertainment of ancient Roman crowds.
from From Latin gladiator, meaning quite literally 'swordsman,' built from gladius, the short Roman stabbing sword. The gladius itself is thought to be a borrowing, possibly from a Celtic or Iberian word for sword — fitting, since Rome adopted the blade's design from peoples it conquered. So the word names the weapon first and the man second: he was, by definition, the one who carried the gladius into the sand.
- thumbs myth
- no proof thumbs-down meant death; gesture is unclear
- endorsements
- famous fighters sold sweat as cosmetics and aphrodisiacs
- low odds
- most matches were not fights to the death
- women fought
- female gladiators existed until banned around 200 AD
- oath taken
- they swore to be burned, chained, and killed
spartacus — led slave revolt of 73-71 bce with 70,000 followers against rome
flamma — syrian gladiator who won 21 fights and refused freedom, died ~130 ce
colosseum arena rome — hosted thousands of gladiator fights from 80-404 ce in italy