1. The Romans and the early Gladiators
By Leila

2. Who were the Romans?
The Romans were the people who lived in Rome the capital of Italy more than 2000 years ago.
In 100 A.D. they became one of the most powerful empires thanks to their army.
The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain in the north to northern Africa in the south.
If you were to travel across the whole Roman Empire by horse it would take more than 100 days

3. The Roman Empire at its Height

4. Who founded Rome
According to a legend, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by the brothers Romulus and Remus who were the sons of the war god Mars
Over time, Rome was governed:
By kings,
Then by elected rulers (counsels)
Finally by emperors

5. Who were the Gladiators
Admired by men and adored by women, Gladiators were trained fighters who entertained the crowds in ancient Rome
Famous gladiators had large following loyal fans
Most gladiators were slaves or prisoners, even criminals but there were also ordinary people who chose to become gladiators

6. The First Gladiators
The very first gladiator fights were at funerals of important roman officials
They used 2 slaves to fight against each other to death
Some Romans thought that the tradition of gladiator fights came from the Etruscans whose Kings were very powerful in the early days of Rome: they killed prisoners at the funerals of brave warriors. They believed this would help their spirits go to the next world. The aim was to stop his ghost from coming back to haunt the living
Today, we think the idea came from the Greeks who had settled down in Campania in Southern Italy: they had funeral contests with chariot races, fit fights and fighting warriors

7. Gladiators wore protective clothing
Over time gladiators began to wear protective clothing to make the fights last longer
Each fighter carried a short sword called a gladius which is how the gladiators got their name from