Whether they faced men on the battlefield or wild animals in the arena, these gladiators were the most celebrated fighters in the history of ancient Rome.
When most people think of ancient Rome, they think of two things: emperors and gladiators. And while many Roman emperors wrote themselves into history, either through their good or bad behavior, the stories of most gladiators have largely been forgotten.
Indeed, many have been lost forever. There were thousands of gladiators during the course of Rome’s history, as the first gladiator fight took place thousands of years ago in 264 B.C.E. These early fights were a death rite that hailed from traditions at Etruscan funerals. But they would swiftly evolve into a form of entertainment that took place across the Roman Empire.
Gladiators were often slaves forced to fight. But they were also sometimes free men who signed away their rights, perhaps to clear debts. And some of them were women who defied society’s expectations in order to enter the ring.
Different gladiators fought in different ways. Some were heavily armed murmillos. Some were essedarii who fought on chariots. And some were bestiarii who battled animals. But they were all considered to be part of the infame class, which meant that their lives belonged to their masters.
Indeed, life as a gladiator could be grim. Not only were gladiators abused by their masters and punished for even the smallest of infractions, but they routinely risked their lives during combat in the ring. A merciful audience might shout or wave a white cloth to signal mercy, but with a twitch of their thumbs, they could call for a gladiator’s death.
Although many gladiators perished in the arena — and most faded into obscurity as the centuries passed — some gladiators distinguished themselves to such a degree that we know their names today. Though few left behind comprehensive biographies, their achievements have been captured in graffiti or etched into gravestones.
Take Marcus Antonius Exochus, whose story is told on his tombstone. Though much of his life and death remains a mystery, it is known that he traveled from his home of Alexandria, Egypt, to Rome in order to participate in the posthumous triumph of Emperor Trajan in 117 C.E.
While there, Exochus, a novice gladiator, was pitted against one of the emperor’s slaves during gladiatorial games. He fought so honorably that the battle ended in a draw — and Exochus was awarded Roman citizenship.
Other gladiators distinguished themselves by triumphing over veteran fighters, refusing freedom when it was offered, or attracting the attention of powerful emperors like Nero. The Roman emperor Commodus was even so enchanted by gladiators that he became one himself.
Below, discover the stories of 11 of Rome’s most famous gladiators:
Marcus Attilius, The Roman Gladiator Whose Story Was Preserved In Graffiti
Public DomainGraffiti describing Marcus Attilius’ victories that was found in Pompeii.
When Mount Vesuvius catastrophically erupted in 79 C.E., it destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. But the volcano also preserved graffiti in the ancient Roman towns. Thanks to this, we know the story of a gladiator named Marcus Attilius who astounded audiences with his fighting prowess.
Marcus Attilius was seemingly a Roman citizen who chose to become a gladiator by his own free will. That said, his choice wasn’t made entirely freely. He probably became a gladiator to erase his great debts.
In his first fight, Marcus Attilius — a tiro, or novice — was put up against Hilarus, a veteran fighter and a champion of Roman emperor Nero. (Because of this, we can guess that Marcus Attilius fought as a gladiator during Nero’s short reign, from 54 to 68 C.E., shortly before the Mount Vesuvius eruption.) Hilarus had had a fairly long career for a gladiator, winning 12 out of the 14 contests that he fought.
As such, it seemed obvious to most that he’d crush the tiro, Marcus Attilius.
Gerd Eichmann/Wikimedia CommonsThe ruins of the ancient amphitheater in Pompeii.
Instead, Marcus Attilius forced Hilarus to surrender. Not only that, but he then defeated another veteran fighter named Lucius Raecius Felix.
Though impressed Pompeiians recorded Marcus Attilius’ victories, his triumphs might have been lost to time if Mount Vesuvius hadn’t erupted and preserved their graffiti for 2,000 years. In the Pompeii graffiti, Marcus Attilius appears as a murmillo, or a gladiator who wears heavy armor, fights with a sword called a gladius, and wears a helmet with a fish-shaped crest.
