When testing this, historians explore whether a source reflects a dominant or mainstream perspective, as opposed to a minor or marginalised perspective on the issue.
What is representativeness?
100
What is sacramentum?
The oath the gladiators gave.
100
Legal status of gladiators?
Bonded slaves, lowest of low in society.
100
Name of feast night before the gladiatorial contest?
What is the cena libera?
100
Trained beast hunter
What is a venator?
200
This poet wrote the only recorded literary evidence of a gladiatorial match, in which Priscus and Verus won their freedom.
Who is Martial?
200
Name for the wooden sword given to the gladiator who wins his freedom
Rudis
200
Name of a person who owned gladiator troupes?
What is a lanista?
200
Name for the person who held the gladiatorial contest.
Three answers required.
What is sponsor, editor, munerarius?
200
Bestiarius’ social status – who were they recruited from and where did they fit on the ladder?
Lower than a gladiator and venator because they were untrained criminals, prisoners of war.
300
Two limitations on sources for gladiators?
Male aristocratic bias
Men often wrote to win favour or were employed by Emperor
300
Term for low social status, members of society who had disgraced themselves by becoming gladiators.
Infamia
300
Name of the gladiatorial school.
What is a ludus?
300
Part of the morning venatio, criminals faced wild animals without weapons..
What is ad bestias?
300
The spectators yelled this if they wanted the gladiator released
Mitte!
400
Sources that are trustworthy and yield information that is credible for a particular purpose.
What is reliable sources?
400
What was the gladiatorial oath?
To be flogged, beaten, burned and to die by the sword.
400
How were gladiators obtained?
Criminals, catptives, Prisoners of War, freedmen who volunteered
Parade
Venatio
Damnati ad mortem fought (midday)
Gladiatorial combat
500
Name any three Roman sources writing about gladiatorial games.
Cicero
Martial
Juvenal
Seneca
Quintillian
St Augustine
500
Latin name for criminals condemned to die in the arena.
Damnati Ad Mortem
500
Reasons for auctorati to become gladiators and what they had to do to become one (process)
- Fame, fortune, glory, women
- Needed to go to a magistrate for permission, sign a contract (auctoramentum) which bonded him as a slave and specified fighting style and payment.
500
Signal of defeat and turned thumb (both answers)
ad digitum (signal of defeat)
Pollice Verso (turned thumb)
500
This was a bout held ‘without release’ in other words, to the death.