Das grosse Buch der Gladiatoren

The bloody spectacle of gladiatorial combat is one of the iconic images associated with ancient Rome. For over 600 years, people flocked to the arenas to witness trained fighters in a bloody display that was simultaneously sport, theater, and brutal murder. This book traces the history of gladiators from their origins in the third century BC to the decline of the games in the fifth century AD. It depicts the lives of prisoners of war, criminals, slaves, and volunteers who became gladiators, their training, the different types of gladiators, and their weapons.