The stars of the Roman games, gladiators could be slaves or freedmen. Despite the Pompeian’s appetite for blood, their life expectancy was not as low as one would expect.
Who were the Gladiators?
In the main, gladiators were slaves purchased for their strength by local businessmen. They were trained in troupes and then hired out to fight in the games.
Many gladiators had single names like “Princeps” and “Hilarius”, indicating they were slaves. However, some gladiators were also freedmen. For example, the gladiator Lucius Raecius Felix was probably a freedman. “Felix” was a common slave name, and his other two names were most likely adopted from his former master and added to his own name after he was freed.
Some gladiators were also freeborn. Graffiti in Pompeii records the name of a gladiator called Marcus Attilius. This name is not that of a slave and does not indicate he was a freedman, suggesting he signed up to the arena for profit.
The House of the Gladiators
Before 62 AD, this was the original gladiator’s barracks and training area for gladiators in Pompeii. A converted house, it consisted of a central peristyle surrounded by rooms. Graffiti on the pillars of the peristyle tells us about the types of gladiators who appeared in Pompeii and how the gladiators themselves saw each other.
Besides the well-known fighters such as Thracians, Murmillos and Retinarii (net men), essedarius (chariot fighters) and eques (cavalrymen) were also trained in the House of the Gladiators. Various graffiti also refers to the popularity of certain gladiators with local women, suggesting that some gladiators viewed themselves as sex symbols.
The Gladiator’s Barracks
After 62 AD, the gladiator’s training venue moved to the portico of the large theatre. This large complex known as the Gladiator’s barracks remained occupied at the time of the 79 AD eruption. Eighteen human skeletons were found on the premises, as well as that of a horse.
The barracks consisted of a kitchen, mess hall, stables, and armoury to store the gladiators’ equipment. Stairs on the east side are believed to lead to the lanista’s quarters on the second floor. A further set of stairs led below the barracks to an ergastulum or slave prison. Four more skeletons were discovered here, unchained despite the provision of iron fetters.
The Mortality Rate Amongst Gladiators
Not every gladiator who lost a fight lost their life.
Graffiti is commonly found on tombs flanking the major routes into the Pompeii, detailing the outcome of gladiatorial combats. The equivalent of modern-day sports reports, these accounts named the participants, how many bouts they had fought and how many of these fights they had won.
Victors were indicated by the letter “v”, while losers were marked with either “m” for “missus“, indicating that they were reprieved, or “p” for “perrit“, meaning they were killed. Far more gladiator’s names were marked as missus, indicating that losers often survived.
Resources.
Dobbins, John J and Foss, Pedar W, (2007) The World of Pompeii. (2007). Routledge; London and New York.
Pompeii: An Archaeological Guide. Istituto Geografico De Agostini
Cooley, Alison E and M G L, (2004) Pompeii: A Sourcebook (2004). Routledge: London and New York
