The Gladiators
Short History Of...
00:00
Roman Politics - Aren't We Really Great?
Politicians across Rome vie for attention by throwing ever more elaborate games. A gladiator can aspire to fame, public adoration, riches and the affections of women from all social classes. Their portraits are often graffitied onto the walls of the city. Bronze effigies of them are sold at markets by local traders. The Roman elite attitude is really this sort of thing is rather beneath them - they're in the same category as actors and prostitutes. At their popularity, gladiators largely come from the lower echelons of the Roman social order.
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