The Gladiators: History's Most Deadly Sport - Softcover

Meijer, Fik

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312364024 ISBN 13: 9780312364021

Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL, 2007

Synopsis

Superfit, muscled, and macho, gladiators were hero-worshipped for their skills and courage as they fought to the death, yet despised for their humble status. For over six cruel centuries, tens of thousands died in the blood soaked arenas of Rome and its colonies, watched by enthralled crowds screaming for violence. Professor Fik Meijer has ingeniously pieced together their true stories from contemporary evidence, describing the gladiators' origins, daily life, training, and the odds of their survival pitted against their legions of fans' lust for blood and spectacle.

About this title

Review:

"Forget Russell Crowe in a skirt and sandals, this is the real deal if you want to know about blood and guts in the arena. The author has pieced together thousands of documents, eyewitness testimonies, and engravings to tell in vivid detail the story of the gladiators of ancient Rome." --The Daily Mail [UK]

"Fik Meijer, a professor of ancient history in Amsterdam, gives fascinating insight into Ancient Rome's gladiators. ... An in-depth book...." --The Big Issue

"[Meijer] has written a history that is at once interesting, informative, and fast-paced. Thumbs up or thumbs down? No contest." --Leeds Guide

About the Author:

FIK MEIJER is a Professor of Ancient History at the University of Amsterdam and is the author of Emperors Don't Die in Bed. His next book will be a study of Rome's charioteers.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0312364024
• ISBN 13: 9780312364021
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288