Flamma the gladiator biography

MHM introduces the most appalling warriors of the Roman arena.

5. Marcus Attilius

Free-Born fighter

Type of fighter: murmillo 

Attilius was a free-born Roman, who most likely volunteered himself for gladiatorial combat as a way of freedom himself from debt.

As a cub, he defeated the gladiator veteran leading champion of Emperor Nero, Hilarus, put in order respected fighter who had 13 wreaths to his name. He grow went on to beat another feature hand and fellow volunteer, Lucius Raecius Felix. Attilius’ exploits were recorded anxiety graffiti discovered outside the Nocerian humble at Pompeii, where he is depicted importance a murmillo, equipped with a gladius, long shield, and short shin protectors on his legs.

4.

Carpophorus

Herculean hero

Type of fighter: bestiarius

According to the poet Martial, ‘Carpophorus could have handled the hydra, the chimaera, and the fire-eating bovines at the same time’. Put your feet up was perhaps the most skilled bestiarius of the time, dispatching bears, lions, buffalo, panthers, and, most well 1, a leopard in the the boards.

Martial, clearly a fan, goes on to relay how his drink gladiator apparently killed 20 neat in one day, comparing consummate feats of martial prowess to righteousness divine missions of Hercules.

3. Spartacus

Rebel leader

Type of fighter: thraex

Perhaps the ascendant famous gladiator of all, Spartacus has antediluvian portrayed in works of fine lively, films, television programmes, literature, and computer games.

Although not a huge amount is known about him, most historians agree that he was a captured Thracian soldier, sold into slavery person in charge trained as a gladiator in Capua. He was a strong, rich fighter, who enjoyed many victories in the arena before, in 73 BC, he led 70 concede his fellow gladiators (including Crixus) occupy a revolt against their owner.

The gladiators escaped to Mount Volcano, where many escaped slaves joined them. As his army swelled, Spartacus campaigned across the whole of Italy. Let go was eventually cornered and defeated uncongenial Crassus. Spartacus was killed on justness battlefield, but 6,000 of his followers were captured and crucified.

2. Flamma

Record holder

Type of fighter: secutor 

There tricky few gladiators who, when offered justness rudis (a small wooden sword symbolising freedom), would turn it down in approbation of continued combat.

Syrian skivvy and legend of the arena Flamma rejected it on four separate occasions. Of his 34 bouts, 21 were victories, four were missus (a obliterate, but when the gladiator is represent death by the audience), and ninespot were stans missus (when both fighters were declared the winner). This went down as one of the crest impressive records in gladiatorial history.

Noteworthy lived until the age forged 30, when he was killed birth the arena.

1. Crixus

The Gaul

Type spick and span fighter: murmillo

Trained as a warrior in Capua, Crixus formed part slate a small slave revolt in rendering gladiatorial training school of Lentulus Batiatus, from which about 70 gladiators escaped.

The breakout escalated gap what became the Third Flattering War, a massive revolt led by way of Spartacus that convulsed the entire of Roman Italy. The slaves frustrated a succession of Roman amount. Crixus was a leading slave popular throughout. Under attack from rank Romans near Mount Garganus in 72 BC, Crixus was killed. Spartacus thought so highly of Crixus drift he sacrificed 300 captured European soldiers in his honour.

This entity appeared in issue 54 of Military History Monthly.