The Gladiators
Short History Of...
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The Origins of Gladiatorial Combat
The first recorded gladiator match occurs at the funeral of Brutus Pera. Some scholars believe the spilling of blood functioned as a sacrifice to the dead. It moves beyond its funerary roots and slowly becomes a public spectacle. Dr Neville Morley is a historian and author of the Roman Empire, Roots of Imperialism.
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