Gladiators, the pin-up boys of the arena!
Outside of the arena, gladiators were seen as the lowest of the low and were classed as "infamii". However, once they stepped into the arena they were viewed quite differently; they became the equivalent of today's major sporting stars, And it is easy to understand why.
It would be hard not to respond to watching two armed, scantily clad men battling with one another - sometimes to the death. However, it is a mistake to think that every battle ended in a gladiator dying. Gladiators were a costly investment who, for the most part, were slaves and captured prisoners of war. They were expensive to buy or replace, to train, to feed and to house and it stands to reason their owners weren't too keen on seeing them killed off too early in their careers thus loosing on their investment.
Not all gladiators were slaves, however. Free man became gladiators because of poverty, debt or simply because they craved fame and fortune. Even patricians, senators and some emperors fought as gladiators. The most famous emperor to fight as a gladiator was Commodus in carefully staged events that always saw him emerge as the victor. And he had a habit of claiming a victor's prize of one million sesterces for his "success" in the arena,
Children played with pottery or wooden dolls of gladiators while today, graffiti tell us of their fighting abilities and of their sexual prowess. It's probable many men lusted over them and its well-known women were affected by them too.
It sounds macabre but some Roman women even dipped their hairpins and other jewellery into the blood of gladiators as a good luck talisman and collected their sweat - said to be an aphrodisiac - to mix in their cosmetics.
The three young gladiators portrayed here would be popular choices with the ladies with their near naked bodies coated in blood and sweat. And no doubt the cut their loincloths wouldn't have gone unnoticed.
Photo sourced from the internet: text is mine.
There are two things that bewitch me and that I deeply admire in Chris: his exceptional Art and Mastery in writing as an S&M erotic writer, and his uncommon historical culture and knowledge especially of ancient Rome ( a passion, the one for Roman History, Literature and Civilization that I share with him.).
ReplyDeleteThis post on Roman Gladiators demonstrates once more his love and his deep knowledge of ancient Rome.
There would be many other things worth to be said about Roman Gladiators and their fights / shows in public and private Arenas; and this additional information might the subject for future posts.
Here I’d like to add two observation that partially complete what Chris wrote above:
1) About Emperor Commodus and other rich and noble Roman Lords, including even Senators, who liked to fight themselves as gladiators ……. of course with the ASSURANCE and ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that THEY and only they would have be the winner of that fight ! This shows two things, I do believe. From one side, which was the “CHARM” that victorious gladiators had on Romans, both the lowest populace as well the most refined aristocratic social classes …… so much that Senators and even Emperors themselves liked to personally participate in “engineered” matches in which of course they were sure to be the winners.
Second, even if the cost of champion gladiators was always very high (see also the following point) for an unfortunate gladiator who had had the bad luck to be chosen as an adversary against Emperor Commodus and against some Senators who, for sadism or for “sense of omnipotence”, liked to slaughter anyhow their adversary in the Arena, that fight was equivalent to an assured sentence to death.
K.
2)Chris very opportunely emphasizes that famous champion gladiators were “worshipped” by Roman populace and were “EQUIVALENT OF TODAY'S MAJOR SPORTING STARS” …… i.e. (for European readers) equivalent of today’s major Sport champions of Soccer / Football.
ReplyDeleteLike modern Stars of Soccer, who are paid many millions Euros, equally – as Chris rightly underlines- champion gladiators were paid enormous sums and their Masters were very lucky men.
However, and this is what I’d like to add to Chris’ words, there is also another parallel “equivalence” between modern Sport Champions, e.g. famous Football players and the most famous Roman gladiators.
As it is well known, very often modern Champions of Soccer / Football and of other major Sports, become also true “SEX – SYMBOLS” / “SEX ICONS” for many of their supporters, starting of course from women and gay men.
E.g. European readers certainly know well the often very strong and notorious “sexual charm” that, on female and gay Soccer fans, have the most famous today’s champion-players of Soccer.
Well, exactly the same happened with ancient Roman gladiators; and I would say even at an “increased level” , because –thanks to their bloody sport- gladiators were seen as the “most glorious epitome of VIRILITY”, of MACHISMO !
This had important and fortunate “effects” on the lucky Masters of the most famous gladiators. As well documented from many sources, noble and rich Roman Ladies and also Lords (especially the ones who liked very muscular and very macho males, like e.g. Emperor Galba) were ready to pay HUGE sums of money for having a night of sex with a famous champion gladiator !
It has been said that often, the owners of some champion gladiators earned much more money by obliging their gladiator-slaves to prostitute themselves to rich and lewd Lords and Ladies …… than by making their champions fight in the Arena !
So it’s certain (and not “probable”) that many wealthy Roman men and women lusted over famous gladiators; and their forced prostitution was often a major profit and income for their lucky owners.
Think what would happen today if slavery were still existent and the major Soccer players or the major star-champions of other Sports were slaves ! ….. owned by lucky Masters .
Certainly this would repeat; and there would be many and many wealthy ladies and gentlemen ready to pay even huge sums for passing a night of sex with their preferred Soccer player or other famous Champions of other Sports !
K.