What kind of animals did gladiators fight

The most famous games were the gladiatorial shows The gladiators Originally these schools drew their recruits from among the lowest ranks of society—slaves, convicts, and prisoners of war—but by the first century A.

The games could also be used as a form of public execution for condemned criminals, who were brought to the arena to be crucified crucifixio , burned alive crematio or ad flammas , put to the sword ad gladium , or killed by wild animals ad bestias. The games involved animals on a massive scale. In addition to horses used in the circus and amphitheater, exotic wild animals were paraded before the public not just for the sheer spectacle but also to play an active role in the games as either the hunted or the hunter Animals in the Arena During the Republic —27 B.

Magistrates and wealthy individuals would stock the elaborate shows with native creatures. From birds to beasts, the animals would often be put on display, trained to perform tricks, and at times killed in staged hunts called venationes According to Pliny the Elder, the first venatio It was, however, during the intense political rivalries of the late Republic, focused around the extremely powerful and wealthy figures of Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar, that Romans witnessed for the first time many foreign and exotic animals, especially crocodiles, hippopotami , tigers, lions, leopards, and other large quadrupeds from Africa American Numismatic Society, Over time, the sight of these creatures became less of a curiosity and more of a spectacle and was an expected component of every show.

The demand generated an empire-wide industry with a large workforce that included hunters and captors, trainers and handlers, shippers and suppliers. The resources that went into sustaining such an entertainment industry were colossal. For example, during the games held to celebrate the inauguration of the Colosseum in Rome, the Flavian emperor Titus r. The spectacle went on for days. Trajan r. The prosperity and relative peace that the Roman world enjoyed under the Antonine — A.

Animals never before seen in the arena, such as the hyena, two-horned rhinoceros, and zebra, were introduced to the Roman public. For example, the emperor Commodus r. According to the historian Herodian, the emperor invented crescent-shaped arrows to decapitate ostriches, thereby creating the spectacle of the birds running around headless. Likewise, to celebrate the tenth year of his reign, Septimius Severus r. These included lions, leopards, bears, and other wild animals, all of which were then done to death.

Finally, another literary source tells of a lavish two-day festival held in Rome by the emperor Probus r. On the first day, the Circus Maximus was planted with trees and bushes made to resemble a forest, into which were released several thousand ostriches, stags, boars, gazelles, ibexes, wild sheep, and other herbivores. After their release, the spectators themselves were admitted to the race track and encouraged to hunt the animals.

If true, it must have made for a very bizarre spectacle, especially as they were allowed to take their kills home as food. On the second day, the festivities moved to the Colosseum, where a further lions and bears were exhibited and killed. To the modern world, such wholesale slaughter of animals seems both cruel and unacceptable.

However, this was merely part of life in a society where animals were regularly slaughtered in public. Not only were they sacrificed in large numbers during rituals and ceremonies to the gods, but their entrails were also openly inspected for signs and omens Animals were also killed to provide meat in a way that was very different from the hygienic methods practiced today.

The Capture, Shipment, and Training of Wild Animals in Roman Society Based on the size and frequency of the games, an intricate system must have been in place to coordinate the trapping, transporting, and delivery of so many animals.

Literary and epigraphic evidence indicates that soldiers During the imperial age, the main supply of animals for the arena appears to have been from the Near East and Egypt. Roman mosaics The pit, used mainly to confine large cats such as lions and tigers, had for its center a large pillar on which the bait would rest.

Typically the bait—a goat, lamb, or kid—only acted as a decoy. The most popular animal to fight was the lion, and there are many accounts of both prisoners and fighters being devoured. According to Roman orator Cicero, there was once a single lion that devoured more than prisoners.

More often than not, a single lion in combat with multiple men would emerge victorious. Depending on the particular event, the animal could change. The most popular animals used for punishment were bears, leopards, Caspian tigers, black panthers and bulls. Retiaritus: Fought with a net, brandishing either a trident or a dagger.

Secutos: Had a shield, sword , heavy helmet, and armour on one arm. By the time the Colosseum opened in 80 A. Fighters were placed in classes based on their record, skill level and experience, and most specialized in a particular fighting style and set of weaponry.

The gladiators themselves were usually slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. Occasionally, the gladiators were able to fight for their freedom. Some gladiatorial contests included animals such as bears, rhinos, tigers , elephants, and giraffes. The gladiatrix plural gladiatrices is a modern term for the female equivalent of the gladiator of ancient Rome. Like their male counterparts, female gladiators fought each other, or wild animals, to entertain audiences at various games and festivals.

Very little is known about them. Lions were rare in Ancient Rome , and human sacrifice was banned there by Numa Pompilius in the 7th century BC, according to legend. In addition to lions, other animals were used for this purpose, including bears, leopards, and Caspian tigers. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Among Ancient Romans, bestiarii singular bestiarius were those who went into combat with beasts, or were exposed to them.

Oppian also shares two different ways to trap lions. The lion would jump in willingly, the cage would be closed and lifted out of the pit, and the trapped lion would be sent on its way. The Colosseum was not only ancient Rome's largest amphitheater, it was perhaps the empire's goriest slaughterhouse. Another popular Roman pastime was to release wild animals into the Colosseum to fight with each other or human combatants in front of 50, cheering fans.

Awnings were unfurled from the top story in order to protect the audience from the hot Roman sun as they watched gladiatorial combats, hunts, wild animal fights and larger combats such as mock naval engagements for which the arena was flooded with water put on at great expense. Although the use of war elephants in the Mediterranean is most famously associated with the wars between Carthage and Rome, the introduction of war elephants was primarily the result of the Greek kingdom of Epirus.

The bones revealed that the typical food eaten by gladiators was wheat, barley and beans - and this echoed the contemporary term for gladiators as the "barley men". There was little sign of meat or dairy products in the diet of almost all of these professional fighters, who performed in front of Roman audiences.

Gladiators customarily kept their prize money and any gifts they received, and these could be substantial.