In 80 AD, The Emperor Titus celebrated the opening of the new Flavian Amphitheatre - later renamed the Colosseum - with one hundred days of inaugural games.
As far as we know the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre was financed with the treasures looted by the Romans after their destruction of Jerusalem ten years earlier in 70 AD.
The historian, Josephus recorded that 97,000 Jews were enslaved; many to labour on the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre and thousands of others forced to become gladiators. All those Jews under the age of seventeen were sold into domestic servitude in the slave-markets of Rome. Whether or not Josephus' figures are accurate is open to question as he was known to exaggerate.
On the last day of the games, two gladiators, Priscus and Verus fought before the emperor and a packed audience.
Both gladiators were slaves - and friends - and had attracted the attention of Emperor Titus.Very little is known about either man other than the fact that Priscus had been born a slave and Verus had lost his freedom. Verus is reported to have been Rome's greatest gladiator.
What made their contest memorable is that it was long and hard-fought with neither man giving ground to the other. The fight became so protracted that eventually, Titus called a halt to it as there wasn't a victor. The two slaves had fought equally and neither man was the victor nor the vanquished.
Titus was moved to give each gladiator a rudis - the wooden sword of freedom thus releasing him from slavery - and a monetary reward.
The battle between Priscus and Verus was so epic that the Roman poet Martial wrote a poem about it and as far as I know, this is the only record that exists of a gladiatorial combat.
The picture was sourced from the internet; the text is mine.
As always, Chris, I am pleasantly surprised and delighted by the depth and vastness of your historical knowledge, especially about Roman history.
ReplyDeleteWhat you write above is of course absolutely correct, as always (even if, I think, there would be other details worthy to be highlighted about the total number of Jewish slaves captured and sold all along the long eight years of that bloody war between 66 and 73 AD, even besides the direct consequences of the fall and conquest of Jerusalem in 70 AD).
However focusing on the epic gladiatorial fight between the two gladiators Priscus and Verus, it’s true that the Roman poet Martial, in his “LIBER DE SPECTACULIS” i.e. “A BOOK ABOUT SPECTACLES” dedicated the 29th epigram to the memorable gladiatorial fight between Priscus and Verus; and, as you rightly say, this is the only SPECIFIC piece in all the Latin literature specifically dedicated to celebrate a fight between two gladiators ……. In spite of (very cruel and sadistic detail !) of the MILLIONS gladiators and slaves that, in more than ten centuries of Roman civilization, had died in public and private Arenas for entertaining and amusing, with their blood and sufferings, generations of sadistic Roman Aristocrats and plebeians !
However, let me observe that it is not fully correct to say that this is the only mention and description (however concise) of Roman gladiatorial fights.
Various mentions, referred to various details of those bloody spectacles, are spread here and there in the works by several Latin authors, both historians and jurists, poets (besides Martial) or philosophers etc.
For example, Seneca, both in his “moral” works and in his Letters, more than once mentions various gruesome and barbarous aspects of those inhuman spectacles. Following especially his Stoic philosophy, that blamed and opposed all “excesses” by men in expressing their feelings, Seneca, more than focusing his blame (and in case his pity) on the sufferings and death of the fighting slaves …….. of whom, most likely, did not care at all ! …….. he focuses his censure and blaming mainly on the “excesses of enthusiastic support” of the spectators, that, like the modern fans of this or that champion in modern Stadiums, were enthusiastically supporting their champions and ferociously insulting their adversaries.
E.g. Seneca underlines also certain very barbaric excesses of these spectators, like the fact that when some gladiator seemed a bit “reluctant” to fight, to be injured and to have their throats sliced ……… these spectators were rabidly yelling to the overseers to ferociously whip the gladiators with their long bullwhips and in case to burn and brand their exposed nude arms, chests or thighs with burning hot-irons that were kept always ready, for these inhuman scopes, inside large glowing braziers, situated along the border of the arena.
What a triumph of pure Sadism and of frantic barbaric atmosphere !
Karel