 Roman gladiators were trained in mortal combat, a form of public entertainment in ancient Rome.  Roman gladiators were usually convicted criminals, slaves, or prisoners of war.  Many gladiators came from the lands Rome had conquered.  Women could not be gladiators.

 Gladiators were supposed to fight to the death, but if they fought extremely well the crowd could decide to spare both fighters  At a large event there could be hundreds of gladiators. In the Coliseum, the audience could be as large as 50,000 people.  Some gladiators who managed to survive the fierce fighting became famous or even wealthy.  Gladiators not only fought one another, but fierce animals as well  As Christianity spread and the power of the Roman Empire declined, the appeal of the games diminished.

 A top Roman magazine, “Gladiator’s Today,” sent you a questionnaire to fill out.  Answer the questions on notebook paper in complete sentences to let the world know what it is really like to be a gladiator!  Be creative and informative—give as much information as possible.

 Introduce yourself:  How did you become a gladiator? (slave, criminal, chance of winning freedom)  What injuries have you suffered?  Have you ever fought against animals? Which ones? (elephant, tiger, rhino, lion, cheetah)  Can you tell us about the most spectacular show you’ve been involved in?  Now tell us a bit more about yourself, and about your life as a Gladiator…

 Write a “CATCHY” headline for your magazine article  Take the answers you wrote to the questions and write the article for the magazine.  Draw and color a picture of you in your Gladiator attire in the box