Face-to-Face With Death: Roman Gladiator Punishments

They say only the good die young, but the truth is that most people die in their middle age, even in the 21st century. However, there are places on earth where life expectancy is so low that people barely make it past their teens. In these areas, people die before they have the chance to experience the world, let alone enjoy their golden years. And this wasn't much different in ancient times, but even back then, there were some particularly nasty ways to kick the bucket, from being thrown into the lion's den, to being crucified like Jesus Christ. Here are five of the most brutal ways to die in ancient Rome. Number 5. Condemned to the Colosseum. Not all gladiators fought by choice. Many were criminals, slaves, or prisoners of war. Rome's judicial system was known to be cruel, and gladiatorial combat was seen as a fitting punishment for certain crimes. In fact, some historians believe that the early Christians who refused to renounce their faith were persecuted and killed in the Colosseum. In the book Gladiator, author Don Brown writes about the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, and one particularly gruesome scene involves a character named Rusticus being thrown into the lion's den. This scene was based on real events, because throughout history, Christians have been thrown into the Colosseum as food for wild animals. One example was Saint Sebastian, a soldier who was ordered by Diocletian to be shot with arrows. He survived the assassination attempt, but he was later taken to the circus and forced to watch as chariots whipped around him, before his eyes were gouged out, and he was beheaded. But being thrown to the lions wasn't the only way Romans put people to death in the Colosseum. In the film Gladiator, Russell Crowe's character Maximus, is betrayed by the Emperor's son Commodus, who orders him to fight against the unbeatable gladiator named Tigris of Gaul. But Maximus manages to defeat Tigris, only to be stabbed in the back by soldiers working for Commodus. Even though Maximus is outnumbered, he fights back until he collapses from exhaustion and blood loss. In the end, Maximus is spared because the crowd enjoys watching a good fight, and they want to see him take on a new challenger. But in reality, there were plenty of people who didn't make it out of the Colosseum alive. One way this happened was through rigged fights. In order to ensure that a certain gladiator won a fight, their opponent would be tied up before entering the arena, sometimes with weights attached to their legs or arms. This way, the condemned man had no chance of winning the fight, and depending on how strong the other gladiator was, the fight could be over in seconds. If the audience wanted to extend the spectacle, the condemned man might be given a weapon made of wood instead of metal. This ensured that the fight would go on longer than if the condemned had been given a proper sword, because a wooden sword could wean a skilled and experienced gladiator. But they can inflict serious wounds. This turned a fight into a public execution, and the condemned man's death throes could be enjoyed by the entire audience. The roar of the Colosseum was the last sound many ever heard. No. 4. Crushed to Death Imagine being crushed to death while everyone around you is cheering. Well, that's exactly what happened to many innocent people during the construction of the Roman Colosseum. When the Colosseum was built in 70 A.D., it was a monumental achievement in Roman engineering. It was the largest amphitheater in the world, seating up to 80,000 spectators. To construct a building of this magnitude, thousands of slaves and condemned prisoners were put to work. It's believed that many of them died in accidents caused by improper training and supervision. There were also reports of workers being crushed to death when entire sections of the amphitheater collapsed. But even those who didn't die during construction weren't safe inside the Colosseum. Spectators were regularly crushed to death by the huge crowds that gathered to watch the fights. For example, during the inauguration of the Colosseum, a large number of spectators rushed to get the best seats in the house, causing several people to be trampled and crushed. According to Roman historian Suetonius, 80 people were killed during the dedication games held in honor of the Flavian dynasty. People were also crushed to death when the stands overflowed. As mentioned earlier, the capacity of the Colosseum was around 80,000 spectators. However, during the games, it wasn't unusual for the number of attendees to exceed this limit. When this happened, people would be forced to stand in the aisles or even on the track between the two opposing sides. But when the crowd became too unruly, the fighters would stop their battle until order was restored. Sometimes the only way to restore order was to open the exit gates, allowing some of the spectators to leave and hopefully reducing the number of people inside the arena. Unfortunately, this sometimes led to crushing incidents. In 456, the eastern part of the Colosseum collapsed, killing dozens of spectators. 3. Fighting to the Death Although the Colosseum is famous for hosting battles between gladiators, the truth is that these fights were not always to the death. The term gladiator refers to both the armed combatant and the competitions they took part in. These competitions were usually staged by wealthy aristocrats to entertain their guests. Fights to the death were rare because gladiators were expensive to train, and they weren't easily replaceable. Therefore, the fights were more likely to be staged with weapons that allowed the combatants to defend themselves without actually killing each other. For instance, a common type of gladiator was the Rishiarius, who fought using a net and trident. Their opponents were usually heavy infantry, like hoplites, who wore helmets and carried shields. This type of match pitted agility against brute force. In theory, the Rishiarius should avoid his opponent's attacks and eventually tire him out. Then he would be able to use his trident to jab at his opponent's weak spots and slowly bring him down. However, if the hoplite could withstand the jabs and break through the reti- The fight would be over quickly. The truth is that gladiators sometimes did fight to the death. This was more likely to happen if the gladiator was a condemned criminal or a slave, because these men had nothing to lose. They fought with reckless abandon, which sometimes resulted in a gory spectacle. As described by Roman historians, some gladiators would cut off their opponents' heads with a single stroke of their swords. Other times, the fight would go on for hours, with both men becoming exhausted and covered in blood. Eventually, one of them would collapse from exhaustion or blood loss, at which point the other gladiator would raise his sword for the killing blow. In some cases, the crowd would beg for mercy for their favorite gladiator, but this wasn't always successful. In the end, it was up to the emperor or the host of the games to decide whether a gladiator lived or died. Number 2. Wild animals. You don't need to be a gladiator to die a horrible death in the Roman Colosseum. In fact, many innocent people lost their lives in the arena simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, Emperor Titus was celebrating the opening of the Colosseum with a series of games. One of the spectacles was a mock naval battle between two fleets of ships. The battle was so realistic that the ships began to leak, flooding the arena floor. Suddenly, the fighting stopped as the audience realized that the water was rising. Before anyone could react, the crowds were knee-deep in water and the next thing they knew, wild animals were swimming toward them. In the chaos that followed, many people were bitten, scratched, or trampled. According to Roman historians, hundreds of people died that day. But even those who survived the animal attacks weren't safe from the crowd. During the reign of Emperor Nero, the Roman populace grew tired of the chariot races. They demanded something more exciting, and Nero obliged. He introduced wild animal hunts into the chariot races. Charioteers would drive their horses around the track while trying to avoid being gored by sharp spears. At the same time, the spectators were pelted with animal carcasses thrown from above. Number 1. Crucifixion. Crucifixion was one of the most common forms of capital punishment in ancient Rome. It was used for a variety of crimes, including murder, treason, and rebellion. The condemned was usually nailed to a cross made of wood or stone and left to die slowly of exposure or starvation. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is probably the most famous example of this form of capital punishment. According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified by the Romans for claiming to be the Son of God. During the Roman Empire, crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals. However, in the 6th century, it was adopted by the Germanic peoples, who were known to be fierce warriors. Crucifixion was seen as an effective way to intimidate and subjugate the population. The practice continued until the 9th century when it was finally outlawed by Pope Gregory IV. Thanks for watching. If you liked this video, be sure to check out our other videos on the Roman Empire. We have a whole playlist dedicated to the fall of Rome, as well as another playlist on the Roman army.