Carpophorus, The Gladiator Who Fought Against Beasts
Galleria BorgheseA depiction of a venatio.
Carpophorus is different from other gladiators on this list in that he didn’t fight against men: He was a bestiarii who battled wild beasts.
These fights, called venationes, pitted men against animals like bears, elephants, tigers, crocodiles, giraffes, and many others. Sometimes, the fighters were not trained gladiators at all but rather condemned prisoners.
Carpophorus, however, was not forced into the ring as a prisoner sentenced to death. He entered it as a bestiarius and ably dispatched with the fearsome beasts that were sent his way.
Johnny Chicago/Wikimedia CommonsA depiction of a bestiarius fighting against a leopard.
Martial, the same poet who recorded Priscus and Verus’ famous battle, raved about Carpophorus’ abilities as a fighter. He claimed that Carpophorus was able to kill a bear, a lion, and a leopard all at once.
In fact, Martial wrote that Carpophorus once killed 20 animals in a single match.
But like most gladiators on this list, other details about Carpophorus have been lost to time. Aside from his exploits in the ring, we don’t know where he came from — or how long he survived his battles with beasts.
