The enslaved Spiculus impressed more than just the audience the first time he stepped into the amphitheater. The best fighters were treated to a hearty diet, if regimented, and given a leg up, and subjected to the best medical attention. Learn 23 new facts about the civilization. Attilius became a fan favorite from his first few fights. According to tradition, Regulus remained in captivity at Carthage until he was sent to Rome on parole to negotiate either a peace or an exchange of prisoners. As the combat between each pair of gladiators reached its climax, the band played to a frenzied crescendo. Nine of his fights ended in draws and four were losses, although he was spared death in three of them. Combat between the murmillo ('fish-fighter', so called from the logo on his helmet) and the thraex or hoplomachus was a standard favourite. The story is not found in the best surviving source, the 2nd-century bc Greek historian Polybius, but it is mentioned in the fragments of Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus (consul in 129 bc). That being said, the very first gladiators were either prisoner of war or slaves. Emperors and Gladiators by Thomas Wiedemann (Routledge, 1992), Gladiators and Caesars edited by Eckart Khne and Cornelia Ewigleben (British Museum Press, 2000). Meanwhile, Spartacus and his remaining followers wanted to reach Gaul and gain their freedom. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Gladiators were not only slaves, prisoners of war or criminals; they could also be free citizens of Rome, eager to gain wealth or the opportunity to win fame as a good warrior. The exterior and interior of the Colosseum Britannica, Graffiti in Pompeii, Military History Matters. While many warriors competed in gladiatorial combat against other gladiators, a few were famous for battling animals in the famed Colosseum. L (ucius) Raecius Felix (pugnarum) XII (coronarum) XII m (issus est) -- Lucius Raecius Felix, fought 12 previous matches and received twelve crowns. Gladiators rose to popularity if they fought wild animals, otherwise known as bestiarii. This article appeared in issue 54 ofMilitary History Monthly. 5 Famous Ancient Roman Gladiators - History Historians often point to the disastrous reign of Emperor Commodus as the end of the Pax Romana or Golden Era of the Roman Empire. Gladiators | Roman Gladiators - Warriors and Legends He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors, and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. Mosaic of fighting gladiators Omissions? Crixus was most known for being Spartacus right-hand man, the number one entry on this thread. A disconcerting advantage accrued to the left-handed; they were trained to fight right-handers, but their opponents, unaccustomed to being approached from this angle, could be thrown off-balance by a left-handed attack. Normally young gladiators would fight against other newbies, but Attilius was put against Hilarus, a very experienced fighter. His opponent, L Raecius Felix, was another successful gladiator, having fought and won twelve fights. Because of his specialty in fighting the beasts, he was called famed bestiaries. As his armyswelled, Spartacus campaigned across thewhole of Italy. This freedom meant he would be freed of his shackles and allowed to live a normal life among the Roman citizens. He is supposed to have urged the Roman Senate to refuse the proposals and then, over the protests of his own people, to have fulfilled the terms of his parole by returning to Carthage.