By
hotchipchick / September 7, 2024
Gladiatorial combat has existed for ages, where contestants fought until death in amphitheaters in front of enthusiastic spectators.
Although gladiatorial competitions are commonly seen as a feature of Roman culture, they did not actually originate from Rome. Instead, other ancient societies were their sources.
In 264 B.C., this tradition started in Rome after Brutus Pera’s passing away, who was one among the most notable families’ heads during the early days of the Roman Republic.
In memory of their dad, his boys arranged a public celebration named munus which included eating a lot of meat and drinking fine wines.
To make the munus more magnificent, his sons decided to incorporate an unforgettable event like killing fight; thus beginning an enduring cycle of fighting gladiators brutally in Ancient Rome.
Roman writer Ausonius described a fight for Brutus Pera where six slaves, armed with Thracian weapons, wore armor.
The result of this combat is not known but it is likely that there battled hard by all the six gladiators; only one man left at last.
After the blood spill and flesh share, Brutus Pera’s spirit gained ultimate freedom to the spirit realm.
In ancient societies gladiator battles were often consider a ritual sacrifice in honor of the dead during burial ceremonies.
Campanians hosted gladiator combats on the Italian Peninsula almost a century before Brutus Pera’s death, not always for funerals.
This tradition was initiate by Greek settlers who want to remember their victory over Samnites; it was later embrace by Campanians. Drunk on victory, the Campanians had their prisoners put on Samnite armor to fight each other till death.
The first representations of gladatorial combat as part of funerary rites appear in 4th-century B.C., Campanian tomb paintings.
Throughout the preceding centuries before Christ, gladiator fights became an important part of Roman funerals.
These spectacles transformed into formal occasions over time with wooden seats for audiences. The competitions developed from a few dozen gladiators to over a hundred who fought sometimes for days on end.
Over time, gladiators went through significant changes. Initially, untrained and weakly armed people fought here. Over time, they received shields and sword lessons, becoming fierce fighters.
By the first century b.C., gladiatorial games had changed into an instrument of strategic politics meant to win public favor. To gain popularity among citizens, some highly publicize gladiator events organize by roman officials were often like to funeral rites. For around seven centuries gladiatorial combat remained an important part of Roman culture.
