Gladiators and the History of Human Combat

Did gladiators always battle to the death? Who was the most famous gladiator of all time, and why did he never step foot in the Colosseum? Were any gladiators women? What would a day at the Colosseum look and sound like? (Spoiler alert: music accompanied the fights.) Were all gladiators slaves, or could free citizens compete in the arena? 

Join Shane and Duncan as they explore the history and legacy of human combat in this week’s hacking and slashing, rough-and-tumble episode of MFFI.

~

Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON

~

Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD

~

In this episode:  

• How Combat Became Entertainment
• Cultural Universals: Wrestling, Boxing, etc
• The Etruscans and Campanians
• Ludus/Ludi
• The Gladius (Sword)
• Funeral Ceremonies (Munus/Munera)
• Female Fighters
• Brutus Pera and Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva
• Caesar's Munus
• Venatio (Beast Shows/Animal Hunts)
• Augustus Regulates the Munera
• Trajan's Games
• Marcus Aurelius
• Commodus
• Russel Crowe's Maximus
• Myth Busting
• Lucius Cassius Dio
• The Colosseum
• Gladiator Pairs
• Gladiator Types: Retiaruus, Murmillo, Andabata, Thraex
• Mimus (Horn-Blowing Chickens and Flute-Playing Bears)
• Spartacus and the Third Servile War
• Honorius and the End of the Games

 

Join the Midnight Masses!

Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas. 

And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word! 

Midnight Merch

 ~

Leave an Audio Message!

~ 

Instagram

~

Podcast Website

~

Episode Transcript