Massive generalization. Not every fight was a death match but not every gladiator was a trained professional either, there were plenty of matches whose only purpose was to watch slaves die.
The numbers I’ve seen suggest about 10-20% of the “professional” matches ended in death. That’s a fuckton of dead gladiators, and that’s the professional matches.
Mass combats, rookie matches, these are things we don’t have real numbers on but what we do KNOW is that matches were used as barely concealed public executions as well.
They weren’t about to die. It was a spectacle. They were entertainers.
Massive generalization. Not every fight was a death match but not every gladiator was a trained professional either, there were plenty of matches whose only purpose was to watch slaves die.
The numbers I’ve seen suggest about 10-20% of the “professional” matches ended in death. That’s a fuckton of dead gladiators, and that’s the professional matches.
Mass combats, rookie matches, these are things we don’t have real numbers on but what we do KNOW is that matches were used as barely concealed public executions as well.