Karin

3/15/02

Arena Games

Mr. Burnett, G

• An arena was called an amphitheater, arena mans "sand" which is what the floor of the amphitheater was so that it could soak up the blood more easily
• Gladiatorial games were the most popular thing held in the amphitheaters
• There were four groups of gladiators, grouped according to what they were armed with in battle
• Murmillo-armed with a helmet, long shield and a sword, and usually fought against Retiarius
• Retiarius- lightly armed with a net, and a dagger or a trident
• Samnite-armed with a visored helmet, a sword, and a long shield
• Thracian- armed with a round shield and a curved scimitar
• Combats with gladiators with other weapons were not uncommon
• Dwarves and women were also used in combats sometimes
• Gladiators were slaves bought to be gladiators, volunteers who were bound by an oath, condemned criminals, and prisoners of war

• Another performance involved the slaughter of wild animals
• These were considered animal "hunts"
• These hunts were done by men fighting on foot, or occasionally on horseback
• Fights between two or more animals was also not uncommon
• These took place with huge numbers of animals being killed
• As the numbers of exotic animals increased, so did the number of people coming to the "shows"
• The men that fought these animals were often condemned criminals, paid, trained fighters, or prisoners of war
• These men were known as bestiarii
• During the time of Nero, after the great fire of Rome, great numbers of Christians were slaughtered during, as well as anyone who tried to help the Christians and were caught
• Sometimes, mock naval battles were done, but never thought of being done in amphitheaters, rather in fake lakes built for the occasion
• There were shows that included trained performing animals, with music and intervals by musicians
• The most famous amphitheater today is the Colosseum in Rome