Humans are the only animals that watch their kind kill each other and have fun.
From ancient times to the present, pleasure by creating and appreciating the suffering of others has been a major category of human entertainment. For this, the ancients invented fighting crickets, cockfighting, dog fighting, bullfighting, but it is clear that none of these are stimulated by "fighting people".
In this regard, the ancient Romans felt the same way, and they quickly standardized the "fighting man" and formed a set of national "sports" carnival that has been popular for three hundred years - "gladiatorial competition".
In fact, contrary to our impression of bloody and brutal deathmatches, Roman gladiators in history were a highly commercial profession. It emphasizes long-lasting and scientific operations, trying to avoid the easy death of gladiators who have been heavily trained. And gladiators, like today's athletes, received far more nutrition and medical care than ordinary people.
French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme's Pollice Verso
It can be said that gladiators are UFC fighters or professional athletes in ancient Rome.
A good gladiator is not much different from the treatment of today's sports stars, and even has his own "fan base"... As archaeological excavations and more historical materials surface, people's stereotypes of gladiators continue to disintegrate, and the truth is slowly emerging bit by bit.
Boring, I want to see rivers of blood!
As an all-encompassing universal empire, it's hard to say that anything was purely Roman original, including gladiator shows.
The Greek writer Nicholas of the first century BC believed that gladiator games originated from the Etruscans of the northern Roman city-states, who ordered two people to beat each other at theaters or banquets, and when the loser's head was cut off, they high-fived each other.
However, it is more accurately recorded in Greece in the 8th century BC, where they practiced the tradition of human sacrifice of executed prisoners in blood at funerals, which later spread to Campania in southern Italy, developed into two heavily armed men fighting at funerals, and then spread to Rome, which became the earliest gladiatorial activity.
The Roman aristocracy believed that the blood of prisoners and slaves could purify the souls of the dead, and that the strength, courage and determination of the gladiators themselves represented the virtues of the dead in life.
Palestu tomb frescoes – 4th century BC
In fact, before gladiatorial performances, the Romans were already addicted to violent entertainment.
In the relatively "civilized" two-wheeled carriage competition, many people and cars will be destroyed and killed every time. Later hunting animal performances ignited the audience's thirst for blood. Since animals can play, then of course people can too, especially at that time, many people were not as good as animals.
In 216 BC, the Romans lost 60,000 bodies at the Battle of Canni, and the son of one of the commanders arranged for 44 gladiators to perform at the funeral, and due to the large number of people, the performance venue was moved to the Roman Forum.
However, as the number of wealthy people in Rome increased, so did the gladiatorial performances, and the people gradually fell in love with this originally serious custom. Roman officials are aware of this, and they build stands on the playing field to rent seats and make money and win hearts and minds.
In 42 BC, the Roman magistrates finally decided to hold official gladiator tournaments.
Around the first year of the AD, Augustus the Great believed that duel performances were conducive to the stability of the people's hearts and minds, and could also promote the worship of emperors, and gladiatorial performances were promoted throughout the country and became an important national entertainment in Rome.
Of course, gladiatorial fights are very expensive, 102 days a year are theatrical performances, 64 days are carriage races, and only 10 days are gladiatorial shows. But these 10 days are a national carnival in the true sense.
For example, in 27 AD, a man named Atilius organized a grand gladiatorial performance, but the audience exceeded the support limit of the wooden theater, and the collapse caused tens of thousands of casualties. But this incident also stimulated the Romans, the empire is rich, why can't you build a strong and magnificent arena that shows the grace of the Roman Empire?
In 70 AD, Emperor Weisspar issued an edict to build a stone arena that had to set off the majesty of the empire to appease the Roman people, who had been in social conflict due to the civil war. For a time, the top designers, artists, engineers and builders from all over the West gathered in Rome.
Bring wood from Gaul, marble from Egypt, iron ore from Syria and treasures from Jerusalem. To build the foundation, the Romans drained a lake.
In every way, the Colosseum is a true marvel of Roman architecture.
Neat columns, elegant sculptures, precise geometric mechanics condensed into 80 arches, 160 arcades and 16 wedge-shaped grandstands, allowing up to 80,000 spectators to enjoy the performance from different angles. This is the Flavian Amphitheater, also known as the Great Arena. An eternal symbol of Roman wealth, strength and glory.
With a stage, there must be actors who are eager to try.
Money is hard to earn, blood is easy to shed
Do you want to be a gladiator?
Well, I have to tell you beforehand that this might not be a good idea. Not to mention the hardships of training and the dangers of competition, the moment you become a gladiator, you lose almost all your political rights.
There are only two paths before you, one to freedom, fame and wealth, and one to failure, bitterness and death.
You may have been a prisoner of war or a slave, after all, these two people were the main participants in the gladiators. Of course, if you're idle and looking for excitement, or you're so poor that you want to try your luck and get rich, you can also train at a gladiator school - at least here. In impoverished areas close to the barbarians, there were more prisoners of war and slave gladiators.
And in some rich areas, half of the gladiators were free men. If you are a freedman, your appearance fee and participation commission will be much higher than that of your peers. You only need to participate in two or three major competitions a year and receive a prize money equivalent to a year's salary of a Roman legionnaires.
If you fight bravely, then the income of a game is even several times that of a soldier. Even if you have average martial arts, you can go to ordinary venues to compete and earn money, which is enough for you to live a well-off life.
Sometimes, Gongzi Wang Sun would not be able to contain his excitement, and occasionally went down to the arena to fight gladiators. If you are lucky enough, you will meet His Majesty the Emperor himself. We recommend that you use efficient techniques to make His Majesty "heroically" defeat you, so that you will generally receive dazzling rewards.
But don't hurt him, trust me, don't.
Now let's take a look at the Gladiator School.
The first thing you do here is to solemnly swear to surrender, to be willing to endure humiliation, to accept even the most outrageous command. If you are a gladiator who joins voluntarily, you will sign a contract with your agent to complete the task within the specified time, the more difficult it is, the heavier the money bag.
The agent is the school principal, your collaborator, and all of you. He is responsible for training you, buying you, selling you, renting you. In any case, the House of Gladiators is a new world that will give you glory or death.
Your main training is to hit stakes. It seems simple and it's not difficult to fight, but for hours on end under the sun, it's not so easy. After driving the stake, you must exercise your muscles, use all means to increase your size, as long as you practice not to die, you will practice to the death.
It's just that your training life is not just about sweating, after all, the audience doesn't like rib hangers, so you can get nutrition, a sufficient food supply, and some gladiators even get fat.
Of course, your life is not only about training and fighting, you have a high probability of getting a benefit called "Yanfu". Generally speaking, gladiators are necessarily tall and good-looking. Because the thin and ugly were eliminated in the first round of selection.
Especially after the battle, blood and sweat flowed on the bronzed muscles, just like a living ancient Greek hero. This scene of bursting male hormones is easy to win the favor of girls and young women.
Of course, a one-night private meeting, fish and water fun, is almost everything a gladiator can get. We must also remind you here that warmth is short-lived and most of the time is very hard.
Many gladiators kill themselves because of high pressure, anxiety, or depression. A Germanic man was found suffocating in the toilet and choked himself to death by sticking a sponge into his throat. This is a sponge for wiping buttocks, which countless people have used. May he rest in peace.
The so-called Mediterranean diet
When you're well-trained and ready, it's natural to step into the show.
Before the performance, posters will be put up to promote you and your opponent's appearance and achievements. Before the race, you can have a fantastic meal, then check the equipment, clench your weapons, and line up for silent entry. After that, if you are a victorious general, then you can take off your armor and let your fans admire your physique and win cheers.
The rules allow you to wear helmets, breastplates, shin guards and even armbands, and you can wrap yourself tightly together.
But the audience prefers you to fight shirtless. The less you dress, the more likely you are to bleed, and the more excited they are. Of course, there are quite a few people who would rather be scolded than take off their armor.
The weapons are at will, shield, long sword, net trapping trident, big axe sledgehammer, double sword, spear, you choose.
The shield is your most important friend. Not only can it help you ward off the pain, but it can also "advertise" you by painting signs. Because of the distance or wearing a helmet, the audience will not recognize you as his idol.
When you are ready to stop, don't forget to pray with your teammates in the elevator that today's emperor is in a good mood, after all, even if everything goes well, the emperor's words, today's everything will come to naught, and even have to pay with your life.
The match officially begins, and under the arrangement of the agent, your opponent is roughly at the same level as you, and even both sides know the bottom line, and no one side will be crushed. Although you should act like a killer gladiator, the goal is to perform, not deathmatch.
Putting on a great match doesn't have to kill your opponent, especially if the opponent is likely to be familiar to you. The referee will urge you to fight as hard as you can, and in most cases will avoid a fatal blow. In a trick with a soul, one side shows flaws, and the opponent is more likely to be full of old punches than to add up sharp blades. The reverse is also true.
In private, your opponents are often also your companions and friends. Many gladiators will form small groups, and if you accidentally kill your "brother", then everyone will pool money to hold at least a decent funeral for him.
In general, death is something that everyone tries to avoid because it does more harm than good. Whether it's a gladiator or an organizer, the purpose of everyone is ultimately to earn money and live. Training a gladiator is expensive, and the cost of running a gladiator school is no less expensive than training a professional athlete in modern times.
Therefore, the agent will do everything possible to save the life of the gladiator, call a stop at any time that may cause fatal injuries, and the professional doctor on the sidelines is always on call. For an agent, a gladiator who spends a lot of money on training for three years, and dies on the first day of appearance, is completely unacceptable financially.
However, in the ancient Roman arena 2,000 years ago, death was still inevitable.
With the exception of manslaughter, the power to decide the life of a gladiator was vested in the emperor. No matter how the audience shouted about the tsunami, once the emperor stretched out his finger, the scene fell silent.
With the exception of certain bizarre emperors, the general rule is that the brave who ignore death can live, and the cowardly are more likely to die. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the emperor will generously grant him a merciful blow to spare him from torture when he finds out that the loser's life is in danger, even if it is rescued.
When the loser learns of his fate, he will half-kneel in front of the winner, hold his thigh with his hands, and bow his head to expose his neck.
The executioner would raise his sword for everyone to see, and then stab the sword down to the roar of the audience. The blade pierced the muscles, lungs and heart of the defeated. Subsequently, the body will be moved out, and if it is brave enough, it will be met with a silence from the audience.
The winner will stand in place and taste the supreme glory and the rewards of the fans.
Overall, the death rate of gladiators is about one-fifth to one-quarter.
Luck is a very important part of everything, some people die at the age of 21, others live to be 90. But in this industry, the longer the person lives, the longer he lives.
This is not nonsense literature, because the older you get, the more experience and level are different from ordinary players, and the winning rate is higher. Even if it is occasionally missed, the organizers and the audience will not want to kill a legend.
Everything has an end
But, as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said, "Reputation? It will soon be forgotten. The applause was also ethereal. ”
Even if you make a lot of money, what about the fire all over Rome? You will eventually age, you will become fragile and clumsy, and there will always be people who are stronger and more skilled than you.
At a time when the lives of ordinary people could not be guaranteed, people remembered gladiators for no more than two or three years.
With the exception of a few geniuses who worked hard to create an industry and enjoy their old age, most gladiators, especially prisoners of war and slaves, were freed and could not be integrated into society.
Like the librarian in The Shawshank Redemption, most gladiators will voluntarily return to school, or renew their contracts and gamble on their lives to sleep in a certain game. Either become a coach or do odd chores to eat a bite to eat.
In the end, with a body of injury and illness, he could not even do physical work, so he could only gossip around the barracks and thirst for alms. They would listen to the cheers of the grand game, then stroke their scars and sink into memories, lamenting the bloody glory of their youth.
In the end, they collapsed on the streets or huts just like other homeless people, and their bodies were dumped in mass graves. In contrast, dying at the peak is not a bad thing.
This is the end of most gladiators.
In the 1st and 2nd centuries, the cheering people in the audience believed that Rome was eternal.
By the time of the crisis of the third century, as the military and the economy declined on all fronts, the costly large-scale competitions began to decline. Audiences still love gladiatorial fights because gladiator games still symbolize the supreme glory of Rome.
However, the invincible gladiator will eventually fall, just like the Roman Empire itself.
In addition to the constant war on the border, Rome's core values have also been losing under the onslaught of Christianity. Christians were extremely opposed to gladiatorial fighting because they believed that man's salvation could only depend on God, not on the worldly power represented by the spectators and the emperor.
As the influence of Christians grew from the 4th century onwards, emperors became less and less likely to win hearts and minds through gladiatorial performances.
In 393, Theodosius I declared Christianity the state religion. Countless Christians turned around and began to spontaneously fight the "pagan game", and gladiatorial performances bore the brunt of the boycott, which was the final blow to the gladiatorial industry that was struggling at the time.
However, Western Rome did not live much longer than gladiatorial matches. In 519, Theodleck, the Gothic king of the Western Romans, granted the last animal competition to be performed. In 536, Justinian I gave his last hunting show in Constantinople, and since then there have been no gladiatorial fights.
After the 5th century, Rome was no longer the "eternal capital", and its population plummeted from 500,000 to 30,000 in 568.
The Goths and Vandals sacked the city of Rome twice, and the Roman historian Cassiodorus wrote: "The granary is in ruins, the pedestals of bronze statues are separated, and the fragments of marble columns are all over the ground." Three hundred years later, in the East, another poet, Wei Zhuang, also wrote about the destruction of civilization in "Qin Women's Yin".
The Great Arena, once the glory of Rome, has become a lonely and desolate group of stones. What was once a bloody battlefield of gladiators has become a sheepfold and a bullpen, and the arcades where Roman nobles stepped are crowded with beggars and thieves.
Later, in order to build new buildings, the Pope continued to tear down and remove the stones of the Great Arena, making it even more ugly and riddled with holes. Later, people got used to the ruins and almost forgot about them.
In 1804, the French romantic writer Chateau Briand wrote in a letter to a friend:
"The golden afterglow of the sunset filled the once surging stands. Gradually, the depths of the stands and walkways began to hazy, and long reflections were projected on the gladiatorial arena. The sun set over the horizon and the bells of St. Peter's Church echoed in the corridors of the Great Hippodrome. Two of Rome's greatest buildings, built by pagans and Christians, resonated a thousand years later. ”
A thousand years of white horses have passed, in this relatively civilized new era, gladiatorial fighting, as a barbaric entertainment in ancient times, has long been rejected by mainstream society. But the commercial fighting spirit of gladiatorial fighting has been passed down, after all, there are many people in the world who are willing to make a living from martial arts.
After losing against Lewis in 2002, Tyson declared that he would play the Lions if someone offered $30 million.
Although this is a joke, as mentioned at the beginning, as long as human beings are content with violence and the pleasure of blood, then whether they are now called boxers or gladiators, whether they are in the Colosseum or the octagon, real or virtual, gladiators will always exist.