Lanista Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 Hi, not sure if anyone has an idea about this. I've been researching this for a few days, and I can't really find any substantial information in Mannix, Grant, Baker, Matthews or Meijer. And the internet has been no help whatsoever! In short, aside from the ludi in Rome and Capua, where were the other gladiator schools on the italian mainland? I see references to "over a hundred gladiator schools" in the empire, but can't find anything on mainland Italy aside from the four famous ones. The Capuan one is very interesting, but again, I can't really find any information on the actual school itself. All the references are related to Spartacus, but I'd be interested to know what happened to the school post Spartican revolt. How long did it last - into the imperial period. What were the dimensions? TO be honest, that's pretty in depth stuff...really, I'd be interested to find out about any schools outside of Rome! Any starters for 10? Cheers Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 (edited) The four famous ones were the largest institutions, and Capua was known for them, though I suspect again there were only a few major ones there. Other people owned troupes of gladiators and had them housed/trained on their villa grounds rather than a dedicated ludum. There were of course plenty of itinerant troupes, usually of low quality and reputation, who had no premises at all. Edited October 28, 2008 by caldrail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 (edited) Hi, not sure if anyone has an idea about this. I've been researching this for a few days, and I can't really find any substantial information in Mannix, Grant, Baker, Matthews or Meijer. And the internet has been no help whatsoever! In short, aside from the ludi in Rome and Capua, where were the other gladiator schools on the italian mainland? I see references to "over a hundred gladiator schools" in the empire, but can't find anything on mainland Italy aside from the four famous ones. The Capuan one is very interesting, but again, I can't really find any information on the actual school itself. All the references are related to Spartacus, but I'd be interested to know what happened to the school post Spartican revolt. How long did it last - into the imperial period. What were the dimensions? TO be honest, that's pretty in depth stuff...really, I'd be interested to find out about any schools outside of Rome! Any starters for 10? Cheers Russ Edited December 1, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanista Posted November 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Thanks very much for this rich information, it's very much appreciated. Thank you for taking time out to provide this research, it will really help :-) Cheers Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 There's a degree of difference in what these establishments offer. Like any business premises, its going to vary in size and facility according to scale of operation. Campagnia as a whole was the region that italian gladiatorial combat comes from (Capua in particular as mentioned above). Realistically you'll get a few large schools whose owners have pretty much cornered the larger contracts and a number of peripheral, smaller ones. For instance... Caesars Ludus was a mini-arena, with a sunken oval area for the practice fighting and training. The barracks at Pompeii (I've not been there, so please correct me if I'm wrong) appears to be a quadrangle surrounded by cells and storerooms. I don't know if gladiators trained in the arenas themselves (much like modern sportsmen do) but I've seen no evidence of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochus III Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 There is a great documentary out there, which I believe was posted on these forums. It has some fascinated information on what gladiators' lives were like, using bones to determine levels of certain elements, and to search for marking left by gladitorial instruments. Great video, I hope you find it. Antiochus III Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanista Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 By happy chance, this was on the other night and I taped it. It was called "True Gladiators." Thanks all! Cheers Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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