Gladiators
Combats between gladiators were a regular feature of Roman entertainments in the first century A.D. Centuries before, these contests were held at the funerals of dead warriors, but under the emperors they increasingly became a form of entertainment. The most famous location for gladiatorial combats was the Colosseum, completed in AD 81, two decades after the time of Paul. Earlier in the century the contests were held in a smaller amphitheater. The men who fought in gladiatorial meets were prisoners of war, condemned criminals, slaves, and some professionals. They used various weapons, including tridents and curved swords. The one shown here uses the short sword.
