Complete the text with the missing sentence parts.A gladiator was a fighter in ancient Rome who entertained spectators in Roman arenas and amphitheatres. He fought against other gladiators and animals. For more than six centuries gladiatorial fights
. Thousands of citizens went to the stadiums to see their heroes
until death.
Although they were not regarded as highly as professional soldiers, gladiators
. They were often slaves or prisoners who were bought by a manager. He sent them to special gladiator schools where they were trained to fight in a professional way, much like today’s athletes. In these schools gladiators were shown
various weapons and, above all, how to survive. Gladiators were paid if they managed
. After five years under their manager they were set free.
Gladiators had to take an oath. They promised to obey their masters and show bravery
. Everyone could volunteer to become a gladiator. Sometimes free men became gladiators because they wanted
.
The first fights were held in Rome
. A famous Roman citizen organized the first fights in a cattle market. As the events became more popular, many people came to see them. Later on, the most famous fights
in the Coliseum, which held thousands of spectators at that time. In 325 A.D. gladiatorial fights were banned by Emperor Constantine I, but
into the 5th century.
Gladiators often fought wild animals, like bears, bulls or lions. These animals were brought to Rome from exotic places. The Romans treated the animals badly and
, so they were very aggressive and hungry before the fight. They were kept in cages under the arena. In most cases gladiators defeated the animals but sometimes
. Fights against wild animals were similar to bullfights in modern Spain.
Gladiators had different types of weapons to fight. They often wore helmets
to protect themselves. They fought with swords, bows and arrows. When a gladiator hurt his opponent the spectators put their thumbs up to show
to live and their thumbs down to signalize they wanted the defeated gladiator killed.