Gladiators: Let the Games BeginImagine a life as a criminal, prisoner of war, disobedient slave possessing a strong body and a resourceful mind fighting for the enjoyment of the people around to you. A life where you had to kill those who trained with you daily to stay alive while death was a given at some point in the arena. Gladiators played a huge role in the Roman Empire. This fight was a way for wealthy emperors to boast about the power they had, as well as a way to reunite a city. The origin of gladiators is questionable as there is not enough evidence to pinpoint exactly where they originated. It is speculated that the gladiatorial games may have been inherited from their predecessors in Italy, the Etruscans. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Tito Livio Patavino, known as Tito Livio, Roman historian and author of the History of Rome, writes that the Campanians were the first to organize the gladiatorial games to celebrate the victory over the Samnites. Titus Livy continues by stating “While the Romans used armor to honor the gods (by raising a trophy tower with captured Samnite armour), the Campanians, out of contempt and hatred towards the Samnites, made the gladiators who performed at their banquets wear it it, and then they called them `Samnites.'” (Livy, 9.40.17). Often in gladiatorial games the honoring city will recreate battles and relive past victories using gladiators, as Livy points out in his piece. The Campanians made their gladiators wear the armor of the Sanmites. The first recorded Roman gladiatorial games were held in 246 BC when Marcus and Decimus Brutus had three groups of matched gladiators fight to the death as part of the funeral of their father, Junius Brutus. These fights between gladiators took place in the Roman Forum Boarium. The gladia... in the center of the card... yours and powerful. The upper level was reserved for common people. Under the floor of the Colosseum was a passage of rooms, corridors and cells where weapons and animals were stored and gladiators waited their turn to fight. The Colosseum could also be flooded to host naval battles and recreate part of Roman history. Special drains allowed the pumping and discharge of water. In short, in ancient Rome, death had become a form of entertainment. Gladiators came from all different types of backgrounds to perform for the Roman citizens. They go through all different types of training to prepare them for the battles ahead. Life may not be as bad as you might think for a gladiator. Elite gladiators received celebrity fame, money, and freedom, as well as the chance to perform in front of 80,000 people in honor of your city and, most importantly, the emperor.