Emily Chan
The practice of having gladiators fight to the death in an amphitheater where enthusiastic crowds gather to watch is an ancient one.
Such a spectacle has always been considered quintessentially Roman by nature. But surprisingly, gladiator fights did not actually originate in Rome.
The tradition started in Rome in 264 B.C. after the death of Brutus Pera, an important member of one of the most powerful families in the early Roman Republic.
His sons wanted to commemorate him by hosting a munus, which was a public wake with a feast of meats and wines.
However, his sons also wanted to include an event that would make the munus memorable, such as a fight to the death. Thus began a centuries-long custom of brutal, bloody battles between gladiators in the city of Rome.
According to the Roman author Ausonius, the fight in honor of Brutus Pera involved six slaves pummeling away at each other with the weapons and armor of the Thracians, a people who lived in the region that is now Bulgaria.
It’s unclear how the battle went, but it is likely that the six gladiators fought until only one was left alive.
Once blood had been spilled and the meat and wine were passed around, the soul of Brutus Pera could finally make its way to the afterlife.
In the ancient world, gladiator fights were commonly regarded as a type of human sacrifice to honor the dead at their funerals.
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