Gladiator: Fighting for Life, Glory and Freedom

by Ben Hubbard

“When everyone had had plenty to eat and drink they called for the gladiators. The moment anyone’s throat was cut, they clapped their hands in pleasure. And it sometimes even turned out that someone had specified in their will that the most beautiful women he had purchased were to fight each other....” – Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters

With their origins as blood rites staged at the funerals of rich aristocrats, gladiatorial combat is one of the defining images of ancient Rome. For more than 600 years, people flocked to arenas to watch these highly-trained warriors participate in a blood- soaked spectacle that was part sport, part theater, and part cold-blooded murder. On a single day at Rome’s famous Colosseum, 3,000 men fought; on another, 9,000 animals were slaughtered. Gladiatorial contests were a spectacular dramatization of the Roman emperor’s formidable power. Gladiator looks at life and service in the Roman arenas from the origins of the games in the third century bce through to the demise of the games in the fifth century ce. It explores the lives of the prisoners of war, criminals, slaves, and volunteers who became gladiators, their training, and the more than 20 types of gladiator they could become, fighting with different types of weapons. From Spartacus’s slave revolt to the real Emperor Commodus who liked to play at being a gladiator, from female gladiators to the great combats involving hundreds of expensively acquired exotic animals, Gladiator is a colorful, accessible study of the ancient world’s famous warrior entertainers.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2015

About the author

Ben Hubbard is an accomplished non-fiction author of books for children and adults. He has more than 160 titles to his name and has written on everything from Space, the Samurai and Sharks, to Poison, Pets and the Plantagenets. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and can be found in bookshops, libraries and schools around the world.

Reviews

[SheLove2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

A subject I'm fascinated with, but a poor delivery made this virtually unreadable for me. Textbook dry, without a clear sense of progression from the infancy of gladiatorial games to the heyday of Imperial Rome. I wanted to like it much more than I did.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is filled with history, first about the Roman empire and then men who were its leaders and the rise and then the fall of Rome. He leads you through the take over from Cesar and all of the Emperors to the end of Rome.
Between all of that you get a look at all of the different gladiators, when it was just slaves, then when they added animals and then when it became like what we now have in boxing matches. That after let say 20 matches, he was able to retire. He will also show you through archeology finds the different types of gladiators which were seven.
The author takes you the different time periods of Rome the good and the bad, through this book you get to see actual artifacts that were found decades ago. You also see the building of a new coliseum after the original one burned down. He also shows you that the only true record of a gladiator was one by the name of Spartacus, who was a Legionnaire and then became a slave who would fight for his freedom.
I found this book to be full of Roman history but also the life of its citizens, the collapse of the empire and of course the life of the Gladiators. Truly a very good book, if you are into history if not this could be a dry read for you. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Jan Peter van Kempen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a discount store for a mere £2 because of the many (200) illustrations. As it turns out the text is quite ok as well. This is a general book for a general audience, so don't expect any ground-breaking conclusions. For me it was well worth my money!

[Sadewo Dewobroto · Rating 5 out of 5]

All this time, all i know about gladiator was from game i have played. but after read this book, i know who they are, the purpose of their existence and knowing the brief history of roman empire from it’s peak to deceased time.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cliché in almost every line. Reads like the narration for a history channel show.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting and informative book. I liked how it's organised, the great illustrations and the well researched text.
A good and informative read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Coelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Have a basic overview and history of the games. It made me want to research more.