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Assignment One
Friday, September 5, 2014
Gladiatorial Games Colosseum: Romes Arena of Death
The Real Story Gladiator
The Roman Bloodsport


Special note: This observation took place over the first 30 minutes of three different
hour long films. The first film I observed was Colosseum: Romes Arena of Death.
The second was The Real Story- Gladiator and the third and final film was The
Roman Colosseum: THE REAL TRUTH. The timing of the observations is taking
place in actual time in the documentary.

Important Background Information: The observations that I took happened in many
locations in Rome over the years of 79 AD and later. Some important locations are The
Pit and the Colosseum. It is also good to know that these documentaries tell different
stories on the how to become a successful gladiator and how to earn the chance to gain
freedom. As the films go on, they bounce around from place to place with a narrator
explaining what has happened in the mean time.

Figured World: A large community that has laws for behavior in the society.
The Gladiatorial Games can be simply broken down into violent sport. Back in Roman
times, the community of practice was to send slaves and prisoners of war to the
Colosseum to train so they could die for the enjoyment of others. The purpose of the
Games was to get money out of deadbeats of the society by making them fight. Anyone
who became a gladiator was automatically named "infamis", which meant that they were
beneath even the lowest of citizens and became a slave to the arena. A gladiator, once at
the Colosseum, had to endure the harshest of trainings. This training included the use of
any weapon that was available and the rules of the arena. Once a gladiator had his
training, he would then head out to the arena and try to win. To win a gladiatorial fight, a
gladiator had to simply kill his opponent without being killed himself. If a gladiator won
he may become popular and maybe if he continued to win he could be given the wooden
sword, which meant his freedom. The more wins a gladiator won the more people would
come to see him fight. When more people who come to watch the fight, the roar of the
crowd increased with it. Popularity came with a price when you were a gladiator. With
more people coming to the Colosseum, the owner would then get the gladiator to fight
something that would be exciting. Many times the more popular fighters would fight
animals, like bears and lions, or they would fight multiple fighters at once.
Domain: An idea that the large community believes in and where they show their
commitment to the members of the community.

Popularity: In Ancient Rome popularity meant everything. Emperors could not
successfully run Rome without the support of the people. Furthermore, popularity
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:51 PM
Comment [1]: The Colosseum and The Pit
seem like very important places. I would add a
little more detail to these. It will provide the
readers with a better understanding going into
the observation. - Xzavier
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:51 PM
Comment [2]: The definitions for each of
the key words is a little short. You could add a
more detailed definition to help better
understand the words. You also could put
examples for each vocab word in order to help
the reader understand more clearly. - Jackson
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:50 PM
Comment [3]: You do a good job
explaining the background of the gladiatorial
games. You explained the process of how they
when their freedom how hard it is in a clear
way. You also do well explaining what the
terms mean. - Jackson
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:50 PM
Comment [4]: One thing you could briefly
mention would be the history of the gladiators.
You could comment on how the tradition
started. Or you could also talk about where and
why the gladiatorial games came about.
Jackson
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could also get you killed if not one liked you. The main reason that the Colosseum
was built was to help gain popularity for Emperor Vespasian and try to get the
population of Rome to help him fix what his predecessor did to Rome.



Communities of Practice: A group of people that have the same goals and interests

Upper class: It was common practice for the upper class to invite the influential
gladiators to their house for a party. This would make them spot to be for the
night and would make others talk about your party. Often, the owner of the house
who have a mock fight with the popular gladiator winning. Almost always these
parties were to show off wealth and to gain influence of other wealthy people.
Citizens of Rome: The common people of Rome had a practice of going to the
Colosseum to watch a gladiator fight animals or other gladiators. This act of going
to the games was almost like going to a football game now days. Everyone, no
matter who you were, was at the games to cheer on the gladiator of their choice.

Practices of the Community: Habits that people all believe and they all communicate
in the same way

Gladiatorial Games: The whole nation of Rome believed that the Gladiatorial
Games was a great way to entertain others. During the 100 days of straight games,
50,000 fans would come everyday to watch the fight and try and see the next
famous gladiator preform. The games became so popular that exotic animals were
brought from all over the world to fight the gladiators. Additionally, people
wishing to run for office, would use the games as a political stunt to try and gain
as many followers as possible by sponsoring some of the games with their own
money.

Actors: People that have important jobs in the community

Lanista: He is the owner of a local gladiatorial school. His job is to go around
and pick from the best slaves and criminals to find the best gladiatorial. If he
picks right then his job could be very lucrative, making him mass amounts of
money from the one gladiator.
Emperor Vespasian- Ruler of Rome from 69 to 79 AD and mastermind behind
the building of the Colosseum. He wanted to make an arena in which could win
back the people of Rome by making people fight to the death. This stunt was to
fix what his predecessor did with his reign.
Titus- Vespasians son who used the Colosseum and the gladiators to win back
the people of Rome. Hated by many people but after he finished the Colosseum,
he became one of the most like emperors of all time for Rome because he made
100 straight days of games.
Marcus Aurelius- Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 and revered as one of the
best rulers of Rome. He led the romans against Parthian Empire and defeated
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:50 PM
Comment [5]: The gladiators themselves
could be mentioned as a community of
practice. They are a group of people that have
a lot in common are are classified together
socially as "infamis". They all had a similar
goal to get be free or to fight. - Jackson
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:56 PM
Comment [6]: Fighting and death could
also be practices of the community. All of the
gladiators participated in killing each other for
the crowds pleasure. They all used the same
means of killing each other as well (weapons).
Jackson
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:56 PM
Comment [7]: I like the way you explained
all of the actors. It gives people ample
information of all the main figures in this
figured world. They are clear and easy to
follow along to. - Xzavier
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them in the east. He also fought in Europe against the Marcomanni, Quadi and the
Saramtaions and was successful during the Marcomannic Wars. Marcus Aurelius
was the father of Commodus and gave him his empire after he died.

Commodus- Also known as one of the worst emperors of Roman history,
Commodus loved everything about the Gladiatorial Games. He became so
obsessed with them that he had an arena at his own house that he would train at to
become a gladiator. Furthermore, Commodus was the only emperor that actual
fought in the arena. Being so obsessed with the arena made him have many
enemies because he would neglect his main job of ruling an empire to go watch
the gladiators. To stop his enemies he would simply kill them and try to cover it
up. These murders lead the people to mistrust him even more and gave him the
reputation of a mad leader.
Gladiators- The people that fought in the Gladiatorial Games. Many gladiators
were slaves or captives of war from the many Roman campaigns. At the very
beginning of a gladiators life they would have to swear loyalty to the Lanista and
do anything he asked. As he trained, he would be accessed to see if he was worth
putting in the arena. Once in the arena, a gladiator fought until he lost or his
Lanista said to stop. If a gladiator continued to win then he could make a name for
himself and live a very success life.


Artifacts: Something that the community couldnt live with without. It maybe physical
or an idea but it must be something important to the community.

Gladiatorial Games- The gladiatorial games represent the bloody and gruesome
nature of the Romans. What we think is completely over the top to us is
completely normal to them. This is because back then people died all the time if
they were executed and thats what many Romans thought these games were
about. Additionally, throughout the whole film we see that thousands of fans
come out and watch people fight to the death. Back then, this was a huge treat for
the citizens of Rome and would love whoever sponsored the event that was held
in the Colosseum.
Wooden Sword: This was the symbol of a gladiators freedom. To get the
wooden sword means that you have established yourself as one of the best
gladiators of that time period. Moreover, if you got one you would immediately
be free from your Lanista and could do what you want. Many winners of the
wooden sword would go back to their Lanista and train the new gladiators and get
paid for it. Finally, since the wooden sword was so rarely given out the gladiators
that did get the sword were many times made into legends and written about in
the history books.


Literacy Practices: practices the community uses to communicate

Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:58 PM
Comment [8]: You could add the
Colosseum to this list of artifacts. The
Colosseum is something that the community
thoroughly enjoyed. Also what if someone
didn't exactly know what the Colosseum was. I
think a definition of the Colosseum is needed
somewhere. - Brenden
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Word of Mouth: The most common way someone in Roman society would find
out about an event that was happening in Rome was from word of mouth. This
meaning that if someone wanted to become more influential then they had to do
something note worthy. Most of the time people who wanted power would spread
the word of a big fight that was happening at the Colosseum and if all went well
more people would believe what that man said.

Observations One: Gladiatorial Games Colosseum: Romes Arena of Death

2:00 minutes: Roman soldiers take over a village in Moesia by force, and you see a long
line of slaves beings marched away from the village. The slaves are marched 50 miles to
a Roman quarry and forced to mine stone for the empire. We then find out that the slaves
are mining stone so that the Emperor of Rome can build a great building in Rome. As the
camera pans around we notice that the quarry is a terrible place for a slave and we are
informed that the mine is named The pit because its hotter than the deepest pit in hell.

5:00 minutes: As the slaves work in the mine, a Lanista walks around looking at them to
see if any are fit for gladiatorial school. Just as the Lanista passes two slaves that he
deemed unfit for the arena they begin fighting. The Lanista sees them fighting and
notices that he missed judged them and saw that the have the will to fight for their
survival. Now free from the pit, the once slaves have to face the long and troublesome
path of the gladiator. Just before the groups of gladiators get to the school they have a
revelation that for the first time in years they control their own fate.

10:00 minute: The recruits arrive at the school and are put into groups to swear loyalty to
the Lanista. During the swearing of loyalty, we find out that over half of gladiators are
free men trying to gain glory and fame or pay back debts by fighting in the arena. After
the group of men finish swearing to the Lanista, the are told to bath and then be prepared
for tomorrow where they will bind them to their will. As soon as the bath scene is
finished the camera flashes over to Emperor Vespasian and the construction of the
Colosseum. As the emperor walks around the construction site, the narrator explains that
this was a plan to make the citizens of Rome to like him and his family for centuries to
come. They continue to walk around and we see that this is going to be the biggest arena
ever built and also the most complex one with a pit in the certain of the arena going down
36 ft.

15:00 minutes: We are now sent to a very elegant party in the rich part of Rome. As the
camera moves around checking everyone in their expensive togas the new trained
gladiators come into the scene. As they enter the narrator explains that big parties would
be thrown in a Lanistas honor the night before a fight. The reason for this was to make
the person who paid for the party gain in popularity. In these parties there were games to
show off the gladiators many talents. While the gladiators showed off, many single
women and divorcees would pick a gladiator that would pay to be with.

24:00 minutes The arena that the gladiators fight in is a very small-enclosed space.
One by one, each gladiator is called out to fight. As the fights go on the narrator explains
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:58 PM
Comment [9]: As it is, i believe this
sentence is a little choppy. It needs to be
revised in some way. "The Lanista sees them
fighting and notices that he missed judged
them and saw that the have the will to fight for
their survival."--->"The Lanista sees them
fighting and notices that he missed judged
them and saw that they do have the will to
fight for their survival." - Brenden
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:58 PM
Comment [10]: Did this new recruit just
immediately become a gladiator? The recruit is
still under the owner ship of the Lanista, so
that would still make him a slave. He is a
gladiator but also a slave. - Brenden
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:57 PM
Comment [11]: What is this school? Do
they learn reading and writing or how to swing
a sword? I think it would be best to somewhere
put in what this school will do for the
Gladiators. Brenden ... [1]
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 4:57 PM
Comment [12]: This sentence confuses me
a little. I get that the women chose a gladiator
to "be" with but is there any other way this
could be typed out. Were the women wanting
to "do things" with the Gladiators, or do they
want to talk to them to see if he is a wise
person to bet on. Brenden
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that the common knowledge that a gladiator has to die to lose is rebuffed and tell us that
normally 90% of gladiators survive. More and more fights go on and some win and some
lose. One gladiator loses and goes to the doctor. We find out that the gladiators were
given the most advanced treatment at the time so that the Lansta didnt have to pay for a
replacement. The gladiator that lost asked to go back out because he knew that if he
didnt win he would never be sponsored to fight again. The gladiator goes out and is on
even terms with the fighter who has not lost that day. As the fighting continues the
gladiator wears down his opponent and wins. This win secures him a spot at the gladiator
school and some money because of his victory.

Observation Two: The Real Story Gladiator

9:00 minutes: The main reason for the Gladiatorial games was not entertainment for the
mob at first. It began 200 years before Christ and the main objective was a Roman
funeral for the prisoners of war. The prisoners would fight to the death just like the
gladiators did, all the while the Roman soldiers would watch. Over time, it grew into a
huge spectacle where politicians that hoped to run for office would sponsor a couple of
games to get his name out to the public.

12:00 minutes: Gladiators that are chosen are treated with the up most care. They are
provided with the best doctors in Rome and some of the best nutrition that can money can
buy. Their diet consist of mostly grain to help them bulk up as much as possible. By
bulking up, the gladiators gain extra layers of fat, which is to protect them from fatal
blows for weapons to the organs. Furthermore, the rich diet of grain also helps them build
up the muscles to handle a sword for an extended period of time. All the while the
gladiators are eating and healing up with the doctors, the gladiators train day in and day
out for 6 months until they are ready to fight in the arena.

15:00 minutes: Gladiators were trained into one of the seven different types of warrior.
The first was the Retiarius gladiator or who was also called the net man. He fought
with a trident, dagger, and a net and was the most agile of all gladiators. This gladiator
had very little armor and was the only one allowed to retreat in the arena. The Retiarius
almost always fought the Mermillo (Fish man). The Murmillo had a roman legion shield
and sword and had armor all along his legs to prevent the net man from just finishing
the fight by hitting his legs with the trident. The third gladiator was the Egues and he was
the only gladiator that was allowed to wear a tunic for protect. The next gladiator was
called the Secutor. The Secutor was one of the most popular gladiators because the way
he fought was the most brutal and gruesome since he would use his shield and sword
combo to deadly efficiency. The fifth gladiator type is the Hoplomachus. The
Hopolmachus was a gladiator that fought with a spear and could only be killed by hitting
him in the chest since his head and legs were covered in armor. The final two gladiators
are the Provocator and the Thraex. These last two both hack and slash type gladiators
with the one difference between the two is that the Thraex use a Thracian curved sword.

20:00 minutes: The Roman citizens wanted blood and gore, but didnt want slaughters
by a one sided fight. To make sure that this wouldnt happen the fights were set up so
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 5:02 PM
Comment [13]: This observation is done
very well. It clearly explains all the types of
gladiators that walk into the arena. I personally
had no idea that there were different types of
gladiators and Im pretty sure most people
didn't either. This is an excellent way for
people to learn about gladiator types.
Xzavier
!""#$%&'%( *%' +,-. /"01"#(12 34562 07:
each gladiator had an equal chance to win. Each fight had two gladiators that could
exploit each others weaknesses to win the battle. The only catch to this system was when
one gladiator had more experience than the other. If one gladiator was more experienced
then he knew how his opponent would react to blows to the vital spots and use this as an
advantage. These seasoned gladiators would normally have successful careers in the
arena because they knew what it took to stay alive and win.

33:00 minutes: Gladiators could be compared to Olympic athletes now days. Many of
these would be nervous, but ready to fight because this is what they have trained for all
these months. Once the two gladiators went through the gate of life they would hear the
roar of the crowd and the anticipation of what will happen next kicks in. The battle would
commence and then the lives of the gladiators would be in the hands of the crowd. If both
gladiators fought bravely then both of them could walk away. However, if one lost a bad
battle then the crowd could tell the emperor to kill him for the enjoyment of the mob. It
would be at this point the winner or winners would walk back out of the gate of life. It
was common for a gladiator to become addicted to the feeling of walking back out of the
gates of life because he knew that he would live for another day.

Observation Three: Gladiator Games -The Roman Bloodsport
8:00 minutes: Roman citizens would willingly give up their citizenship just so they
could fight in the arena. So many did this for the fame and glory that Augustus Caesar
had to make a law that no women and only free men of 25 years of age or older could
become a gladiator. The reason so many wanted to become slaves was because Gladiators
were treated like super stars back then, and also if you became a gladiator you could miss
the mandatory military service. Another reason that people wanted to become a gladiator
was that you could make 3 times the annual salary of a soldier and if you were a well
known gladiator it could be 12 times.
11:00 minutes: Many gladiators picked names from Greek mythology to scare their
enemies. These names would define the gladiator and define their character along with it.
By choosing these fearsome names the gladiator hoped that it would stick and that it
would become a household name so that when he would fight, the crowd would be
cheering for him. Also, if a name got famous because of a certain gladiator, then after he
died many gladiators would pick up his name hoping it would bring them fortune, just
like the man before them.
17:00 minutes- The greatest moment in a gladiators life is when he is rewarded the
wooden sword by the emperor of Rome. The giving of the wooden sword normally meant
that the gladiator who is receiving it had a once in a lifetime fight. Once the sword was
given it meant that the gladiator was free and could do as he pleases. Another way of
obtaining freedom was to buy it. Gladiators were given a percentage of there winnings
and if they saved it up they could buy their freedom from the Lanista. Often times the
gladiator that was set free would go and work for the Lanista as a trainer because he
would be paid for what he knew best.
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 5:02 PM
Comment [14]: I would revise this
sentence. It sounds like you left it unfinished. I
think I understand what you're trying to say,
but most people wont. - Xzavier
!""#$%&'%( *%' +,-. /"01"#(12 34562 07;
22:00 minutes: During the gladiatorial games many different events would go on so that
the attendees wouldnt get bored. In the mornings, warriors would hunt many exotic
animals as they were released in the arena. This was also the only time that Roman
citizens could see the many exotic animals that the Romans caught on their conquests in
the east. At noon, public executions were held in the arena so everyone could be a
witness to his death and know why he is being executed. Then finally during the
afternoon the main gladiator fights would begin. The fights would vary from one versus
one to two battles of one versus one. It was during these fights that the population of
Rome would fill the arena completely.
32:00 minutes: The total amount of deaths during the games was immense. During the
opening day of the games over 5000 beasts were killed. The amount of gladiators that
were killed was around 11,000 over 100 hundred days. Since this number was so huge, it
was not uncommon for gladiators to kill themselves before the match because they were
scared of making a fool of themselves in the arena. The reason that the numbers of
animal and gladiator deaths were so large is that the emperors of Rome were judged by
what past rulers did and if the former leader had 100 gladiator matches, then he had to
match that number or in most cases beat it.

Interview: From Colosseum: Romes Arena of Death
Give me an example of an ideal gladiator.
An ideal gladiator would be a man that can entertain the crowd with his flashy
swordsmanship and always win. An ideal gladiator would also be good looking so the
rich women of Rome will pay to be with the gladiator when he isnt fighting.
What is the symbol of a gladiators freedom?
The symbol of a gladiators freedom is the wooden sword. The emperor of Rome
normally gives the wooden sword to the gladiator. In order to get the sword you must
have an extraordinary fight that makes the crowd love you. Normally, once the sword
was received, the gladiator would work for his Lansta because he could get paid to train
the future gladiators.
How does a gladiator become successful?
A gladiators only way to become successful is through winning. If a gladiator can
constantly win then not only will he become rich he will be the idol of Rome.
Explain the training a gladiator goes through.
The training a gladiator goes through is all stamina based. In order to win in the arena, a
gladiator must be able to swing his weapon and move in his armor for 5 to 8 minutes. To
gain this stamina, the Lansta will make the gladiators swing his weapon and wear his
Zachary M. Esposito 9/18/2014 5:01 PM
Comment [15]: This question as it is now
is a little vague. There isn't enough information
to fully grasp the question. Provide some
examples of gladiators who achieved success.
Xzavier
!""#$%&'%( *%' +,-. /"01"#(12 34562 07<
armor day after day for 6 months to become accustomed to it. Once they have the ability
to fight for the 5 to 8 minutes needed to fight in the arena, there training is done and they
are full fledge gladiators.
How does a gladiator handle the idea of death before each match?
The gladiator handles death like an athlete handles a big game, he puts it in the back of
his mind and he goes out and does what he has trained for the past 6 months
Tell me about the difference between each weapon a gladiator type uses?
The different between each weapon is based on the style of fighting a gladiator uses. The
spear is a medium range weapon, which means it is designed to keep some distance from
their opponent and strike from a distance. A sword is used for the up close and personal
type of gladiator. The next weapon is the net and trident and these are used in
combination because they help the others weaknesses. The trident is a good medium
range weapon but sucks when someone gets close to the gladiator. The net is good at
close range to try and snare the opponent so they cant move, but if the opponent moves
too far away then it is useless. That is why they are used in combination to help each
others weapon weaknesses.