MMA- Modern Day Gladiators

Mixed martial arts (MMA) a popular sport within the United States. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the most popular organization of MMA in the US. The UFC was founded in 1993 but started to gain a heavy following in 2006. I would consider MMA the modern day gladiator event. From my research I have begun to piece together what an event would be like: a violent, bloody, and not always deadly match between two individuals. That is exactly what MMA is, minus the fact that the chance of death is much lower than a gladiator fighting in the arena. Two men enter the arena after a parade through the crowd, they look to excite the crowd through expressions of excitement, and they commence beating each other senseless to the appeal of the crowd. MMA just like the ancient Roman games is an event for the crowd, the participants bring violence which excites the crowd, the participant feeds of the excitement and increase his tenacity, which in turn excites the crowd even more. It is a never ending circle of excitement and violence between the contestant and the on lookers.

Bibliography

Bibliography

The Victor’s Crown- David Potter

                -In this book there is a chapter entitled “Gladiators.” In this chapter the author talks about a multitude of gladiatorial facts. The chapter starts with Potter talking about gladiator tomb stones; he uses this to showcase an approximation of how many freemen participated in the games relative to slaves. Another point Potter brings up is that a large sum of money could be earned by competing in the games. A free gladiator could charge 12,000 sesterces to appear as a gladiator. At these matches prize money was also awarded, the winner could receive anywhere from 6,000 to 20,000 sesterces. By comparison a junior officer centurion made 36,000 sesterces and a senior officer made 144,000, while the minimum income needed to support a family was 1,000 sesterces. A gladiator could make a large sum of money by competing in multiple matches.

The Sorrow’s of the Ancient Romans- Carlin A. Barton

In this book Barton talks about the "Inverse Exaltation" of the Roman gladiator. "The gladiator: crude, loathsome, doomed, lost was, throughout the Roman tradition, a man utterly debased by fortune, a man altogether without worth and dignity almost without humanity." This quote sums up the beginning of Barton's arguement that gladiators were basically the scum of the earth in Roman society.  The oath he took helped to "affirm" his low status within society.

Gladiatorial Oath (sacramentum gladiatorium)

• Swore to endure being burned, bound, beaten, and slain by the sword (uni, vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari patior)

• He forswore all that might ameliorate his condition and finally, he forswore life itself.

But despite this repulsive nature of the gladiator within society, a gladiator could gain huge respect, even admiration from the crowd. Barton talks about how a gladiator who was fearless in the arena became the fascination of the crowd. He was idolized by the people who watched him compete without fear and defeated his enemy with extreme force.

 The Roman Games- Alison Futrell

 ·         Seneca- De providentia

o   -“Valor is avid for danger…since even what it must suffer is a part of glory. Warriors glory in their wounds and jubilantly display their flowing blood…The raw recruit turns pale at the thought of a wound, but the veteran looks undaunted upon his own gore”

·         Suetonius- Claudius

o   -“Hail, Emperor; we who are about to die salute you” (have imperator, morituri te salutant!) famous greeting offered to Claudius by the “sailors” who were going to slaughter each other in his mock sea battle.

·         Seneca- Letters, 7

o   -I happened to go to one of these shows at the time of the lunch-hour interlude, expecting there to be some light and witty entertainment then, some respite for the purpose of affording people’s eyes a rest from human blood. Far from it. All the earlier contests were charity in comparison. The nonsense is dispensed with now: what we have now is murder pure and simple. The combatants have nothing to protect them; their whole bodies were exposed to the blows; every thrust they launch gets home…There are no helmets and no shields repelling the weapons. What is the point of armor? Or of skill? All that sort of thing just makes the death slower in coming…The spectators insist that each on killing his man shall be thrown against another to be killed in his turn; and eventual victor is reserved by them for some other form of butchery; the only exit for the contestants is death. Fire and steel keep the slaughter going. And all this happens while the area is virtually empty.

·         Seneca- On Providence

o   -The gladiator judges it ignominious to be set against an inferior, as he knows it is without glory to defeat one who can be defeated without danger

Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome- Donald G. Kyle

                -In this book Dr. Kyle starts out the book by wondering what happens to the massive amounts of dead bodies that were accumulated as a result of the Roman games. This is the reason he states as why he wrote the book in the first place. He talks about the great violence that occured in the games and how many people were murdered. But after reading David Potter's book, "The Victor's Crown," it helped to explain through new research that many gladiators competed in nonleathal competitions in order to preserve the trainers investment in a fighter.

Seneca- On Tranquillity (De tranuillitate)

               -Models his wise man after the gladiator. Like the gladiator entering the arena, the wise man enters life having already signed a contract acknowledging that his body is occupied by him only on the sufferance of the master/deity and can be properly demanded of him on a moment’s notice. Like the brave gladiator, the wise man, bound by the terms of his contract, must surrender life and limb directly to his divine master, without murmur or hesitation.

-“I seek not to evade or hang back; you see me prepared to render willingly to you what you gave to me before I was conscious. Away with my life!” (De tranquillitate 11.3)

Cicero- Tusculanae Disputationes

               -while dismissing the gladiator as worthless and contemptible, “either abandoned men or barbarians,” Cicero allows the gladiator to be a model and paradigm of “the good man,” the soldier/philosopher who through his consistent and unflinching fierceness in the face of death and his complete collusion (and even pressure) in his own powerlessness couples his slavery with honor.

The Jewish Wars- Josephus

Spartacus: Film and History- Martin M. Winkler

Spartacus

Double-click on the video



I selected this clip from the movie Spartacus as it was a great video to illustrate the ways that gladiators were trained to compete in the arena. Each gladiator goes through a rigorous training workout in order to prepare to be in top physical condition. In addition to being in top physical condition the training teaches the proper way to handle their weapons. At the end of the clip you will notice another key part in me selecting this clip to be put into this blog. It is the way that they are explained where the kill spots are on a human. They explain which parts will result in a slow death and which are an instant kill.

The Movie Gladiator

Today I happened to turn on the TV and as I was scrolling through the channels I came across the movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe. This was perfect for a multitude of reasons the first being that Gladiators is my topic of expertise for this class, the second being that this week in class we are going over movies that pertain to our topic, and the third being that this is one of my favorite movies of all time.

After knowing more about gladiators through my research about the topic the movie has a whole new meaning for me. I see more into what the gladiator is, not just a fighting man but an entertainer. There are something’s in the movie that are accurate according to my research, while others are not. The first in the arena in one of the Roman providences helps to show the actual experience a gladiator would have. In this scene the newly acquired slaves are put up against heavily armed gladiators. This was how most fights were organized so that the crowd could see a blood bath of the worthless slaves.

The first fight in the coliseum puts the barbarian hoard of Hannibal (slave gladiators) against the legions of Scipio Africanus (professional gladiators). This fight shows the differences between the professional gladiators and the men who are slaves and condemned to die. Maximus (the main character in Gladiator) and the other slave gladiators are sent into the ring to fight against the professional gladiators. The professional gladiators are given chariots and arrows and spears where the slaves are given swords and shields. The slaves are destined to lose as they are outmatched. This is how it was organized so the games could be used to showcase large battles that the Roman Empire had fought. Another important part of this scene is the crowd’s approval of the slave gladiators after their surprising victory over the professionals. The crowd’s approval and association with the gladiators is one of the truly important parts of the gladiatorial experiences.

The fight between the professional gladiator and Maximus is showing how a fight between two professional gladiators would be. Both are armed extremely well and are in a one on one fight to the death. It also shows how any fight can be rigged both the outside forces. With the lions only attacking Maximus, normally this would not be the case as the crowd would be angered by someone interfering with the fight inside the arena. The finally kill sequence of the fight is also very accurate except that Maximus doesn't follow the Emperors orders to finish off his competitor. The fact that he was going to behead the man is something that is very accurate according to a recent article I read on remains of gladiators found in England. According to The Independent, a newspaper in Great Britain, "Although some may have sustained injuries in the period immediately before death, in most cases decapitation appears to have been the act which killed them."

Cicero in this movie is one of Maximus' friends from the legion. That is something that I wouldn't have picked up on until I started learning about ancient Roman history.

Gladiatrices

Though uncommon, women were also found fighting in the arena!  One can find references in the Satyricon and by Nero to the presence of women gladiators, also known as gladiatrices.  As far as images go, let's do a quick then-and-now comparison:

For the ancient image, I'm not entirely sure how scholars were able to distinguish the figures as women.  I would concede that there might be a slight indication that hair is pulled back but most of the rest of radiates, at least in my opinion, standard masculinity.  Neither clothing nor overall build appears feminine and body stance is aggressive (though the aggression and clothing have necessary applications to the profession).

For the modern image, pulled from a Marvel comic, I would argue that, without the painted lips and presence of breasts (indicated by the low-cut shirt), this could easily be an animated man.  From the toned body to the mohawk hair cut to the broad, strong shoulders and even the dialogue--"NNH...GET MOVING, WOMAN!  GO!"--are more typically associated with men than women.

These images suggest that a sexual stereotype from the ancient world has permeated the modern world:  that of a woman who tries to assume not only the traditional male societal role (including job and sexual habits) but also the distinguishing physical characteristics of the masculine sex and gender.  How strange that, in a world where the concept of sexual orientation had not yet formed, one can still find the embodiment of what might today be referred to as the classic "butch" lesbian.

According to the Online Companion to the world of ancient women, the inscription beneath the ancient gladiatrices relief is, "an inscription in Greek commemorating their honorable release from the arena; at the bottom, their names: Amazon and Achillia."  Further investigation indicated that they both survived and were deemed to have "won" the battle.

I will need better sources to confirm this bias but a quick search indicates that gladiatrices were, overall, not well-received.  This is a translation of  Satire VI of Juvenal:

Who has not seen the dummies of wood they slash at and batter

Whether with swords or with spears, going through all the manoeuvres?

These are the girls who blast on the trumpets in honour of Flora.

Or, it may be they have deeper designs, and are really preparing

For the arena itself. How can a woman be decent

Sticking her head in a helmet, denying the sex she was born with?

Manly feats they adore, but they wouldn’t want to be men,

Poor weak things (they think), how little they really enjoy it!

What a great honour it is for a husband to see, at an auction

Where his wife’s effects are up for sale, belts, shin-guards,

Arm-protectors and plumes!

Hear her grunt and groan as she works at it, parrying, thrusting;

See her neck bent down under the weight of her helmet.

Look at the rolls of bandage and tape, so her legs look like tree-trunks,

Then have a laugh for yourself, after the practice is over,

Armour and weapons put down, and she squats as she used the vessel.

Ah, degenerate girls from the line of our praetors and consuls,

Tell us, whom have you seen got up in any such fashion,

Panting and sweating like this? No gladiator’s wench,

No tough strip-tease broad would ever so much as attempt it.

~Kelly

Midterm Post

Part One:

I would first like to start by defining my issue in the ancient world. I have been looking at blood sport within the ancient world. The main subject of looking into blood sport is the gladiatorial games practiced by the Roman Empire. In looking at the games I have looked into the status and treatment of gladiators, as well as the lust or repulsiveness of the spectators in the crowd. These ideas shape the images of what gladiators were and what it was like to be consumed within the games, whether it is as a participant or a spectator. As I said I want to look at two parts of blood sports how the participant was treated and how spectators reacted to the violence of the games.

            One of the main reasons behind looking into this topic is the tendency of modern culture to romanticize thing from the past, especially the Roman Empire. Coming into researching gladiators I pictured them as the superstars of their day, kings of the arena, who were equals of those around them. Many of the websites that I first looked at portrayed this idea of the romanticized warrior. As I did further research I discovered that this was not entirely true. It was not as honorable and noble of a profession as I first thought though some of my preconceived notions had truth to them they were not as valid as first thought.

             In the book, “The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: The Gladiator and the Monster,” by Carlin A. Barton, Professor Barton talks about the “The ‘Inverse Exaltation’ of the Roman Gladiator.” He talks of how the Romans had conflicting opinions about their opinions on gladiators. He uses a quote from Tertullian to discuss how the Romans could simultaneously exalt and degrade the gladiator.

Men give them their souls, women their bodies too…On one and the same account, they glorify them and degrade and diminish them—indeed, they openly condemn them to ignominy and the loss of civil rights, excluding them from the senate house and rostrum, the senatorial and equestrian orders, and all other honors or distinctions of any type. The perversity of it! Yet, they love whom they punish; they belittle whom they esteem, the art they glorify the artist they debase. What judgment is this: on account of that for which he is vilified, he is deem worthy of merit! (Tertullian, De spectaculis 22)

                This fact shows that my first idea of them being an idolized group of people has some truth to it. But Barton shows using Tertullian’s quote that despite this glorification they were still without civil liberties and were not citizens of the state of Rome. In this book Barton also talks about the sacramentum gladiatorium, the oath the gladiators took. The author comments how this truly was an awful oath, making the gladiator even less of an equal citizen then they already were. They swore to endure being burned, bound, beaten, and slain by the sword (“uni, vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari patior.”) In addition they forswore anything that would help their condition as well as life itself. This also helps to show how gladiator’s images were conflicting among citizens. The recited this awful oath to being killed but they gained respect from the Roman people for having reciting the oath and making themselves accepting of death. “The gladiator’s oath expresses the highest ideal and commitment of the virtuous man (the philosopher/soldier), a man sever and without hope or illusion; a man who escapes from the humiliations of being under compulsion through enthusiastic complicity.”

                I also used the book, “Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome,” as a great secondary source. In this book author Donald G. Kyle talks of how the games themselves were a spectacle. Where people would come to watch the games and have a love affair with the death of associated with the arena.

                My third secondary source that I have been reading has been “The Roman Games” by Alison Futruell. This book was mainly a compleation of many ancient sources. The author Alison Futruell uses these primary ancient sources to highlight the games themselves.

Part Two:

In addition to my secondary sources I have also looked into primary sources as well that help to showcase how gladiators were treated and how spectators viewed the games themselves. My first source comes from Seneca’s Epistles Volume I chapter VII, “On Crowds”

      I happened to go to one of these shows at the time of the lunch-hour interlude, expectiong there to be some light and wity entertainment then, some respite for the purpose of affording people’s eyes a rest from human blood. Far from it. All the earlier contests were charity in comparison. The nonsense is dispensed with now: what we have now is murder pure and simple. The combabtants have nothing to protect them; their whole bodies were exposed to the blows; every thrust they launch gets home…There are no helmets and no shields repelling the weapons. What is the point of armor? Or of skill? All that sort of thing just makes the death slower in coming…The spectators insist that each on killing his man shall be thrown against another to be killed in his turn; and the eventual victor is reserved by them from some other form of butchery; the only exit for the contestants is death. Fire and steel keep the slaughter going. And all this happens while the area is virtually empty.

               As Seneca states the thirst for blood of the Roman spectators was unmatched. He went to view the show at lunch time in order to see as less violent show as he figured people need a break from seeing their fellow human beings slain. But what he goes and finds is and even more graphic show, one with no shields or helmets. The fans make sure that everyone dies, making the winner of the one fight get right back up and continue to fight another opponent, their thirst for blood never quenched. 

               Another primary source I have been using to discover the ideas of the ancient gladiator was from Seneca’s essay, De Providentia (On Providence). I took a section of the essay that relates to the gladiators search for glory within death. 

Valor is avid for danger…since even what it must suffer is a part of glory. Warriors glory in their wounds and jubilantly display their flowing blood…The raw recruit turns pale at the thought of a wound, but the veteran looks undaunted upon his own gore

               The gladiators were men who showed no pain even when inflicted with wounds. Seneca tells of how the gladiator takes pride in their wounds, and “jubilantly” displays them to the crowd. The man who is new to being a gladiator shows his fear and becomes sick when even thinking about a wound but the veteran is not fazed.  This section of the essay also connects back to, “The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans,” Barton talks of, “how the gladiators love of death and enthusiastic cooperation in his own death,” redeems his honor with the crowd (Sorrows of the Ancient Romans, 24). By being unfazed by the sight of his own blood and wounds he again raises himself up to be idolized by the Roman citizens despite the fact that he is not even their equal.

This image is of a bronze candlestick with the image of a gladiator as its base. The artifact shows how despite not being citizens the gladiator still was a part of Roman society and even depicted in its art work.



These Roman Greaves, are ornatly decorated with images of a warrior. A gladiator would wear these into their fights in the arena.

This video just gives a brief overview of what it would be like inside the arena. The beginning of the video even quotes the oath the gladiators take when first entering the profession of gladiators. to endure being burned, bound, beaten, and slain by the sword (“uni, vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari patior.”)

Past and Present

Blood sport has a connection to modern day as well. The modern day example varies slightly from the ancients. The main difference is that today blood sport mainly deals with animals not humans. The best example I could use to protray gladiators in modern society is the sport of cock fighting. Cock fighting is the fighting between two male roosters, the fight is till one of the roosters gives up or one of the roosters is killed. The sport is outlawed in the United States but it is extremely popular in many Central and South American countries as well as the Carribiean.

The roosters have the same level of dignity as the gladiators of the ancient world. They are slaves of their masters, made to fight to the death for the ammusement of others and the monatary gain of their owners. They are seens as lowly animals, but just like the gladiators they have a degree of respect for the fact the fight with no regard for themselves accept for the pleasure of pleasing their owners.

Another key point about cock fighting that is similar to the ancient gladiatorial fights is the spectators that watch the games. In the ancient their were people who loved the games and people who thought the games were terrible. Many pagan Roman citizens loved the games, seeing them as a reflection of Romans physical and military power. They had a blood lust for the sport but also saw a little of the violence within them in the gladiators. The games were also a part of a culture that they loved. The opposing group were Christians in ancient Rome who saw the games as a terrible thing. Men killing men and animals just for the sake of killing was wasting life and going against the 10 comandments.

Present day has this very similar devide between groups of people. In Latin American countires like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, cock fighting is a huge event. Roosters are breed strictly for fighting. Large festivals include cock fights for the masses to see, with families attending the events. It is something that is apart of their culture and is very important to the people of this country. Many people in the United States see cock fighting as a terrible event. Innocent animals being slaughtered for the amusement of others, who have no say in how they are treated. This is very similar to the Pagans and Christians of ancient Rome.

Gladiatorial Images

    

Peleas de Gallos

I recently came across two articles looking at cock fighting. Each article had a different take on the idea. The one article came from the Humane Society, this article had a very anti-cock fighting spin. They claimed that, "cockfighting often goes hand in hand with gambling, drug dealing, illegal gun sales, and murder." Now why I feel that cock fighting is not that humane, I feel that the stretch to say that murder derived from cock fighting is a very far-fetched idea. The other article came from a Mexican online newpaper, called Mexconnect. This article was very pro-cock fighting as it is a intregal part of Mexican society. They birds according to this article were extremely taken care of by their masters. The article talks about their appearance and how they were taken care of, "Proud iridescent blue-black tail feathers glowing, bright and sleek copper-bodied, wattles and combs trimmed." They had very human like qualities when fighting as they jockeyed for position like boxers in a ring. The birds also look out for themselves as when they both don't feel like fighting they will hang back and wait for the bell to sound.

These birds were much like the gladiators of ancient times. They were forced into competition that fought to the death. These birds are very large physical specimens, just as the gladiator were. In the article from Mexconnect, the author talks about how the roosters are breed from a variety of birds to produce the strongest, fastest birds.

"Not every rooster has the right stuff to become a fighting cock. Bred from strains of Hatch, Claret, Black, Round Head and White Hackel for height, strength, speed and "gameness," or the ability to stay and fight instead of surrendering, a prize fighting cock may sell for as much as five thousand dollars."

  

Spectacle of Death

The Roman games truly were a specticle for the beholder. The spectator would have witness some of the most gruesome and gory violence possible. The violence was at the maximum replusiveness as phyiscally possible. With sharpened steel objects being thrust into the victim, slicing and dicing them to pieces. Swords and spears would tear open a man leaving his insides visable to the outside world. If a man was not cut to pieces by steel, he could be trampled by the horses and chariots that sometimes roamed the arena. This would crush the victim leaving them broken and battered, many would not even resemble humans after having their face crushed by the hoof of a stallion or the wheel of a chariot. If this didn't kill them the wild animals sent to fight the Gladiators very well could. They would tear their victim limb from limb, shreading them with their razor like teeth and claws. This truly was a specticle as only graphic human physical distruction could be.

I am currently reading the book, "Spectacles of Death In Ancient Rome," by Donald G. Kyle. Professor Kyle is the Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Arlington. He specializes in sports of the ancient world particularly Ancient Greece. This book truly is a facinating one, though I have just started to read the book. In the "Interpretations of Roman violence and spectacles" section, Kyle talks of how violence and blood sport continue through society from humans origins as a hunter/killer for survival.

Roman Games - Animals in the Arena

I found a great video on animals in the arena, I tried to upload it to this blog but it wasn't allowing me. The video comes from a BBC documentary on animals and their place in the arena. It also proposes how animals and the games were used to boast peoples political power. Here is the link to check it out.

http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/roman-games-animals-in-the-arena-1