The Rules of Gladiatorial Combat

In this episode of the Toldinstone Podcast, Michael Carter and I discuss the rules and rituals that governed the lives - and deaths - of Roman gladiators. Check out my other channels, ‪@toldinstone‬ and ‪@scenicroutestothepast‬ Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:38 Becoming a gladiator 2:13 Gladiatorial schools 5:54 Types and armaments 8:22 How often they fought 9:42 Paying for the games 13:56 Advertising the games 15:58 Promotional merchandise 17:56 The rules of gladiatorial combat 25:24 Merciful gladiators 28:12 Were matches ever fixed? 32:06 The crowd 36:34 Arena music 38:43 Thumbs up, thumbs down 40:41 Fatality rates 45:43 Prizes and awards 48:27 Financial matters 50:27 Ranking gladiators 53:48 Female gladiators 56:22 Freeing gladiators 59:18 The end of the games 1:01:46 The fascination of the gladiators