Would you really want to be a...

The Barbarian Tribe It is the 1st century AD and you live in a village in the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunenesis. Modern day France was called Gallia by the ancient Romans. People from Gallia were called Gauls. You don't like the Romans much, and the feeling is mutual.

Facts to Date The Romans invaded your territory more than 100 years ago to build up the huge Roman Empire. The Romans say your people are uncivilized. They call you “barbarians.” You and your people are not very happy with the Romans. You plan an uprising. The Romans learn of your little uprising and attack you to “put you in your place.”

Gotcha! The Roman soldiers wear armor and follow a carefully worked-out battle plan. Your people are not so well organized. The fighting is soon over and unfortunately for you, your tribe lost the battle. You are now one of the prisoners. It is the end of your life as a Gaul and you must suffer the consequences of your “little uprising.”

What do you think will happen to your... Home and family? Horse and chariot? Weapons? Jewelery? WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

What is next? You are chained at the neck and led away to begin a new life as a slave. You are marched hundreds of miles from Gallia to Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. The journey is long and difficult and the weaker slaves die along the way — the victims of hunger, disease and beatings. But lucky you, you are among the survivors, headed towards the slave markets of Rome.

Sold! When you finally arrive in Rome, you are passed on to a slave-dealer, who buys and sells slaves. The dealer takes you to a slave market where you stand on a platform for everyone to see. Slaves with diseases are made to hold a sign so that people know there is something wrong with them.

Your Fate! You have been bought by a wealthy Roman, who plans to turn you from a Gallia comata (hairy Gaul) into a civilized Roman gladiator. You will be trained to fight and will entertain the Romans in the arena. Fame could be yours, if you like that sort of thing.

You are one of the lucky ones... Mining Some slaves are sent to work in mines. They may never see daylight again. They die soon. Quarrying Slaves also work in the heat and dust of quarries, breaking rock for buildings and sculptures. They die soon. Rowing Some men will become galley slaves, rowing the Roman navy's fighting ships. At least they are in fresh air, but they die soon. Farming Slaves on farms work in all weathers to grow food for the Romans. Fresh air is good. If they have a good owner, life is longer. If they don’t, they die soon.

School Days... Your new owner has decided you will be sent to a ludus gladiatorius (a school where slaves and criminals are trained to fight as gladiators). Once inside, the gates will be locked and there will be no escape. You'll be trained to fight by a lanista or ‘butcher’ (a retired gladiator whose fighting days in the arena are over).

New Arrival... Your owner will hand you over to a trainer – a tough man who will teach you how to be a gladiator. You'll exercise every day with weights to build up your body's strength. Until you can be trusted with a real weapon you will practice with a wooden sword.

Training You'll learn how to fight with a sword, practicing on a ‘man of straw’. If you don't train hard enough you'll feel the sting of a whip on your back from Mr. Nasty.

Meet the staff... Get to know your place at the school. The staff are the bossy Romans looking after you. It is their job to prepare you to fight in the arena.

Gladiator Training Trained like true athletes , received medical attention and three meals a day Training included learning how to use various weapons, including the war chain, net, trident, dagger, and lasso Were paid each time they fought. If a gladiator survived three to five years of combat, they were freed.

Meet the Gladiators... In your training you will have learned how to fight as one particular type of gladiator. It has cost your owner a lot of money to buy you, feed, train and equip you for the contest. Now you must be victorious – winning is all that matters. Simply stated, If you lose, you die!

What you will need... The armourer will supply you with all the equipment that you will need in the arena. The combination of weapons, armour and shields will vary, depending on the type of gladiator you become. RH.6-8.7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. What would you choose, and why? You will be appointed an attendant to see to your needs. He will bring you food, run errands, and carry your equipment into the arena for you.

TASK: Significant Events and People Capture Journey to Rome Write a letter home to your family explaining your journey so far. Be sure to use academic language from your notes Tell your family what has happened to you since you left home. Use a strong voice throughout your letter Significant Events and People Capture Journey to Rome Sold at the auction Training The Staff The Gladiators Your unknown future Are you: A funny Gaul? Serious Gaul? Pessimistic Gaul? Optimistic Gaul? Scheming Gaul?...) RH.6-8.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. WHST.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

The heading, closing, and signature are aligned Notice The heading, closing, and signature are aligned Four mandatory commas : #1 city,state #2 day, year #3 after greeting #4 after closing

5 4 3 2 1 Student elaborates on all of the seven events and people from the prompt using proper use of academic language Student includes all of the seven events and people from the prompt Student includes at least five of the seven events and people from the prompt Student includes at least four of the seven events and people from the prompt Student includes at least three of the seven events and people from the prompt Student includes all five parts of a letters correctly including alignment and conventions of print Student includes all five parts of the letter with a few minor errors in alignment and conventions of print Student includes all five parts of the letter with several errors in alignment and conventions of pring Student includes at least four parts of the letter. There are errors, but effort is apparent Student is missing two or more parts of the letter with many errors in alignment and conventions of pring Student’s voice and point of view are strong and consistent with the prompt throughout the letter Student’s voice and point of view are consistent with the prompt Student’s voice and/or point of view are not consistent Student’s voice and/or point of view are confusing at times Student’s voice and/or point of view are very confusing and hard to follow

Gaul to Gladiator Part #2 Final draft of your letter is due tomorrow at the beginning of social studies Look at me, my little tulip blossom, I am now a buff Samnite. Just three years and I will return to thee victorious and a hero. Down with the Rotten Romans! Long live the Gauls! Your little sweet pea, Everin

Prepare to fight! The games are about to begin. Your moment of glory is upon you – you hope. But first, you must entertain the crowd. Practice First you'll fight with wooden swords in a practice duel. Gambling Spectators will gamble on whether you will win your fight …or not. Opponent You will be drawn to fight against another gladiator

Prepare to fight! Advice from the bench Real Weapon Your trainer will encourage you, shouting words of advice — and threats. His reputation Real Weapon You will be given your real weapon – no more wooden swords from now on.

Prepare to fight! Music Musicians will play war-trumpets, pipes and flutes. Action! The contest begins – it's a fight to the death. Noisy Crowd The crowd will cheer and shout all the time you are fighting.

Prodded into action... You are about to fight for your life, but it is not just your opponent you have to worry about. Your trainer will be watching every move and, if he thinks you are not trying hard enough, he has a painful way of prodding you back into action. Try to stay alive until midday. Then you'll have a chance for a rest when you'll be able to watch pairs of criminals fight to the death.

Bad Luck! Bad luck! In your contest you were drawn to fight a retarius, a gladiator who catches opponents in his net before moving in for the final kill. As you lie on the sandy floor of the arena, he brings his dagger to your throat. You must think fast – you may have only seconds to live. There’s only one thing you can do: appeal to the emperor. Will you live or die?

Will you live or die? The crowd are on their feet, shouting "Habet, hoc habet!", which means "Got him! Let him have it!". There's only one thing you can do. As you raise your left hand to appeal to the emperor he will turn to the crowd and let them decide your fate. All you can hope for is that they call out "Mitte!"– "Let him go!".

Appeal to the Emperor... Thumbs Up If the crowd hold their thumbs up and wave their handkerchiefs, the fallen gladiator will be allowed to live. Thumbs Down If the crowd turn their thumbs to the ground, as if swiping a sword through the air, then the defeated man must die. Draw If both gladiators are still on their feet and have fought their best, then a draw may be declared and neither man will die.

Its all over... It seems the crowd showed you no mercy and the retarius was the winner of the contest. While your body is dragged from the arena, the victorious gladiator is presented with his prizes.

The games end... Finished off Dying gladiators are killed by a man dressed as the mythical character Charon. Dragged away Men drag away the bodies of the dead and dump them in a pit. Cleaners Boys rake the sand over to remove all signs of blood.

So... Would you want to be a gladiator?

Thracian Wide-brimmed crested helmet with visor Protection on both legs Greaves - arm protection needed because the smallness of the shield Parmula -small rectangular shield Sica - short, curved sword designed to main his opponent’s unarmored back

Secutor Egg-shaped helmet with round eye-holes to protect eyes from tridents Small, black helmet was rounded to help him escape metal nets Ocrea –Metal guard on one leg Manica – Metal wrapping on the right arm Legionary-style shield and sword The secutor was called a “chaser” Frequently paired with the retiarius who represented water Secutor represented fire – “fire chases water”

Retiarius Net-and-trident fighter Galerus - metal shoulder and arm guard Large metal net Small dagger on metal belt Rete – three-pointed trident The only type of gladiator whose head and face were uncovered Wore no defensive armor, the retiarius was more mobile and very quick More vulnerable to serious wounds Represents Poseidon, god of water

Hoplomachi or Samnite Galea - visored helmet had a large griffin crest and plume Gladius 27 inch short straight sword after which the gladiator was named Gladius was designed to thrust and parry rather than to cut and slice. Fully armored, and based on Greek hoplites Woolen quilted leg wrappings, and shin-guards. Carried a spear in the Hoplite style with a small round shield

Laquerius Carried a lasso to capture his opponent Could carry a trident, a Poignard (dagger), Gladius (Roman short sword), or all three of the above Armguard worn over the left shoulder Later in history the lasso was replaced by a Pila et Vinculum, a long chain with a heavy spiked ball on the end

Essedarius Rode in a chariot, sometimes they had a driver Could carry a sword Medallion – six foot long spear with an iron point Did have armour based on Celtic design Tactics included running over their opponent or stabbing them with their medallion If the wheels came off their chariot, they would free their horses from the chariot and fight from the back of their favorite steed