Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans

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It is worth noting that it wasn’t until 390 AD that homosexuality became outlawed, thanks to Christian emperors. But prior to this time period, the term “homosexual” didn’t exist. In the ancient Roman mind, it was not enough to simply read the myths of Greece or act them out on the stage. Instead, the Romans chose to have the myths reenacted in the flesh and blow for blow. That said, the tradition of depicting ancient Greek warriors naked or semi-naked in works of art is a lot older than Hollywood: Another thing to take into account is that, in the archaic age particularly, armies would often meet on the field of battle and then agree to settle the differences by having one warrior from each side meet. This form of battle would have been more akin to the gladiatorial matches of later periods. Since the Greeks, and even the Romans to some extent, had a romanticized concept of naked warriors it is quite possible some of these matches might have taken place naked. By the classical age, these one-on-one contests were not as common. Soldiers would have wanted to wear as little as possible, especially if the weather was hot, but they would also want protection. I came across a reference in Plutarch's writings (Life of Lycurgus) which seemed to indicate that Spartan men wore only one garment on a regular basis, and that this garment left them bare above the waist. The only references made to their complete nudity was during their exercises and their games, during the latter of which the young women and girls would strip themselves and join the young men and boys.

Were some of these men bisexual? Possibly. Were they gay? Perhaps. But in the final analysis, it really doesn’t matter. What is important is that 2000 years ago, same-sex relations were normal. The women also didn't fight to earn money, as they were already very rich. Thus, it has been argued that they were looking for attention, excitement, and notoriety. All they needed to achieve these goals was to receive special permission from a person who arranged the fights. Accounts of Gladiatrix in Historical ResourcesDeath by fire, a sentence called crematio or ad flammas, would have been a horrible vision of pain and suffering within the arena. Slaves and criminals who were given this sentence were made to wear colorful clothing that had been soaked in a flammable substance. Then, while standing in the center of the arena, they would have been ignited. However, on rare, extravagant occasions, a large group of people, usually prisoners of war, were scheduled to die in the arena. During these great events, the head of the event, usually the emperor, would plan out immense battle reenactments that required anywhere from hundreds to even thousands of victims.

Rome was the very essence of a male dominated society, being militaristic, proud, go-getting and determined on expansion. The man of the house, the Paterfamilias, was the head of the family with... Female gladiators probably appeared for the first time during the reign of Emperor Nero. The Roman historian, Cassius Dio, described the festival of gladiator fights, which was held as a tribute to Nero's mother: One method of execution that was favored by the audience was to simply allow the criminal to run around the arena. The wild cat or cats were set free to chase after the victim until he was caught and sufficiently mauled and battered. Specifically, a clad of fighters (let’s say 4-6) would take a recruit into their clutches and group penetrate him. History does not tell us if this was done by force or if it was consensual.So, how did gay sex happen with the gladiators? Well, according to books written by scholars about this topic, it usually occurred in group form. Septimius Severus also accepted female gladiators until around 200 AD, when he banned the female fights to stop making the gladiator fights into shows which, according to the emperor, promoted lower class behavior amongst noble women."

I was watching a trailer for a movie called 300: Rise of an Empire. I noticed in this movie the Spartan soldiers from the chest and legs are naked. The sentence of ad gladium was death by the sword. Now this could mean just about anything, as long as the prisoner was killed with a sword. For these ancient male fighters, oral and anal interaction was considered the ultimate bonding experience. In fact, taking in the seed of another gladiator was the equivalent of drinking Jupiter’s ambrosia.Despite its popularity, archaeologists have only discovered the remains of two people who died by crucifixion. Both of the remains were male and both showed evidence of having a nail driven through their feet to a wooden cross. There was no evidence that a nail had been driven through their hands or wrists, so it is believed that their arms were tied into position. 7. Trampled to Death Within minutes of entering the Colosseum, the men were told they had to strip off and wait for the girls to win them their robes.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.They were usually wealthy Roman women who liked to fight and treated it as a form of entertainment, a sport, or believed it a way to find a special role in society. According to Tacitus (56-117AD), they were hardly ever viewed by noble men, but at the same time, their fights were extremely popular. However, it was also said that the senators disgraced themselves for watching the gladiatrix in the amphitheater. This question fits my definition of trivial. If you copy the question and paste it into google, three of the top five responses answer the question. Because of their size and stature, elephants were also used in executions. For example, in 167 BC, general Aemilius Paullus had elephants trample the captured men who had attempted to desert his army. If you wanted to have gay sex with muscular, defined men in Ancient Rome, your best bet was to become a gladiator.