Posts with tag: Hoplomachi

The Gladiator Death Rate

Jonathan December 31, 2019 14:20:44

Was the gladiator death rate really as high as we imagine? In the 2000 Ridley Scott epic, Gladiator, the fighters are slain left right and center. Whether by gladius or trident, entrails were torn from living bodies as fighters lost limbs and life and all in a bloody sacrifice to the Emperor, Lucius Aurelius Commodus. In this respect, the movie is no different than most modern media. We are meant to believe that all fights ended in a gory death. But just how bloody were these combats and what was the real rate of attrition?