Gladiatorial combat

Gladiatorial combat was a popular sport in the Republic of Cilwelli. The participants were professional fighters who fought against each other, wild animals, and condemned criminals, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of spectators. These fights took place in arenas in many cities throughout the Republic.

The Games
The games were carefully and precisely planned by an organizer (editor) on behalf of the Aulsur. The combinations of animals and gladiator types were meticulously planned, such that the show would be most appealing to the audience. Gladiators would be publicly displayed to large crowds one to two days prior to the actual event. Programmes containing the gladiatorial and personal history of the fighters were passed out. Banquets for the gladiators were also held the evening before the games and many attended these as well. Even the criminals (called noxii) listed to fight were at times permitted to attend.

When the day of the event came, gladiator fights were preceded by animal-on-animal fights, animal hunts, and public executions of condemned criminals during lunchtime. As it was considered bad taste to watch the executions, the upper classes would usually leave and return after lunch. Some upper class Crex were often criticised because they usually stayed in the stadium to watch the executions. The condemned were sometimes required to fight battle recreations or in paired gladiatorial combats against each. The winner then fought a new opponent and so on until only one was left alive. Usually this "winner" was then himself put to death. But he could be spared if he showed sufficient bravery. In the later days of the Republic, it became the practice to perform plays adapted from myths in which people died and assigning the role of a character who would die to a condemned man. The audience would then watch the play, and the actual killing of the condemned man in the same manner as the fictional character. Before the afternoon fights began, a procession was led into the arena containing the organizer, his servants, blacksmiths to show that the weapons were in order, servants carrying weaponry and armour, and the gladiators themselves. Next came the checking of the weapons to make sure they were real. This process was conducted by the editor of the games. In Cilwelli City, this would be by the Aulsur himself, or he could bestow the honour upon a guest.

During the fights musicians played accompaniments altering their tempo to match that of the combat. Typical instruments were a long straight trumpet, a large curved instrument or a water-organ. These musicians were often dressed as animals with names such as "flute playing bear" and "horn-blowing chicken", names sometimes found displayed on contemporary mosaics.

During gladiatorial combat, it was preferable for gladiators not to kill each other; technically, they were slaves, but they also often had years of intensive training and therefore were quite valuable. Gladiators were instructed to inflict non-lethal wounds upon each other, and often lived long, rather successful lives able to purchase their freedom after three years. However, accidents did happen at times resulting in death, and gladiators who failed to display bravery in combat could be executed by order of the Aulsur. After fights, the bodies of the gladiators were buried in a manner depending on the status of the fighter.

Spectators liked to support “sides”, which they called the “great shields” and the “little shields”. The “great shields” were lightly armoured defensive fighter types. Whereas the “little shields” were the more aggressive heavily armoured fighter types. Fighting without a shield would have been classed as a “great shield” due to fighting style. “Little shields” always had an advantage early in a match but the longer the match lasted the greater the advantage for the “great shield” as his opponent tired much more quickly due to heavier armour and also as they usually had helmets with more restricted vision. Spectators also had local rivalries.

Origins
Gladiators could have been either prisoners of war, slaves or criminals condemned to gladiator schools. There were also a number of volunteer gladiators. By the end of the Republic as many as half of the Gladiators were volunteer. These were either sons of prominent men perhaps looking for a radical change, poor men attracted by the potential for fame or relinquishing themselves from poverty, or even men with a monetary purpose, such as people who sought to earn money to buy a friend's freedom. These men came from all different backgrounds but were soon united as they entered the training schools. By the end of the Republic, about half of the gladiators were volunteers, who took on the status of a slave for an agreed-upon period of time, similar to the indentured servitude systom. Sometimes people were forced to fight in one off events. Sincol was known for forcing anyone he did not like to fight, including spectators who annoyed him at the games.

One of the benefits of becoming a gladiator for slaves and criminals is that they were then allowed to have relationships with women and although they themselves could never become Roman citizens, if they gained their freedom, their marriages then were legally recognised and their children could then become citizens.Left-handed gladiators were popular and a rare novelty.

Training
There were more 100 Gladiator schools throughout the Republi. The schools had barracks for the gladiators with small cells and a large training ground. The most impressive had seating for spectators to watch the men train and some even had boxes for the Aulsur.

Prospective gladiators upon entering a gladiator school swore an oath giving their lives to the gods of the underworld and vowing to accept, without protest, humiliation by any means. Volunteers also signed a contract with a gladiator manager stating how often they were to perform, which weapons they would use, and how much they would earn. Prospectives also went under a physical examination by a doctor to determine if they were both physically capable of the rigorous training and aesthetically pleasing. Once accepted the novicius usually had his debts forgiven and was given a sign up fee. For as long as he was a gladiator he was well fed and received high quality medical care. Overall, gladiators were united as members of a clan and became second to the prestige of the school. They also joined unions formed to ensure proper burials for fallen members and compensation for their families.

As a rule gladiators, slaves and criminals had tattoo's applied as an identifying mark on the face, legs and hands (legionaires were also tattooed but only on their hands). This practice continued until Sincol banned them on the face by decree in 7 ABY.

Training was under teachers, called “Doctores”, and involved the learning of a series of “numbers”, which were broken down into various phases much as a play is a series of acts broken down into scenes. Sometimes fans complained that a gladiator fought too “mechanically” when he followed the “numbers” too closely. Gladiators would even be taught how to die correctly. Each type of gladiator had its own teacher. Although gladiators in times of need helped train Zargi, they were not usually good soldiers themselves as a result of this choreographed style of training. Within a training-school there was a competitive hierarchy of grades through which individuals were promoted. They trained using two meter poles buried in the ground. The levels were named for the training pole and were primus palus, secundus palus, and so on. It was also rare for a novicius to train in more than one gladiatorial style. Once a gladiator had finished training but had not yet fought in an arena he was called a Hydoes.

Life expectancy of a Gladiator
It is thought that only 10 percent of gladiators actually died in combat. Gladiators rarely lived past age 30 unless they were particularly outstanding and accomplished victors but at a time when around 60 percent of Cilwellian citizens died, from all causes, before age 20. this indicates that gladiators in fact tended to live longer than the general populace which is attributed to the extra care they received. Reasonable estimates show that they fought on average two to three times yearly, but there are some exceptions such as some men fighting all nine days during one of Feast of Honor shows.