Gladiators: Orbis Terrarum

by Emma Vanderpool

Intended as an introduction to gladiators and their lives, both tragic and victorious, this novella briefly recounts the lives of gladiators from around the Mediterranean. This novella covers the lives of more than 10 gladiators ranging from famous gladiators such as Sparatcus and Commodus to lesser known gladiators such as the Syrian Secutor Flamma and the Spanish Murmillo Probus. Learn about the different types of gladiator, their armor, and their opponents, the different circumstances that brought them into this service and their end, and how they viewed their time as gladiators.

211 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be the first to tell you that I am not overly interested in gladiators, so I was surprised when I enjoyed this book so much.

It is good for students, especially those who are interested in gladiators. It also has authentic Latin in the form of headstone inscriptions and graffiti included both in the stories and in an appendix in the back of the book. I'm guessing it has about 3oo unique words in it (I've not counted), but some of the trickiest technical terms (those for gladiators and some of their weapons) are defined. The book can be read from cover to cover or just dipping into individual biographies of the 15 featured gladiators The format of the book is well thought out and probably for motivated students in late first year Latin or more generally for students in second year Latin.

If you are building a Latin novella library for students, I strongly suggest adding this book.

[ALex S · Rating 1 out of 5]

This books content is alright. It is a little bit repetitive but overall I enjoyed it. It featured stories of different gladiatores and read like a fill in the blanks sheet where the author filled in different blanks each time 9/10

Grammar

Overall the grammar was easy. The book provided words that I did not know and it is an easy read. Thanks to the repition mentioned above the book is a breeze.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit gaan mijn leerlingen heel cool vinden. Leesbaar voor 2-3 Latijn. Voor de ervaren lezer wat veel herhaling. Verder her en der wat typfouten of kleine schoonheidsfoutjes in de taal.