﻿Why Were Gladiators So Stylish [0:00:00]
“Hail, Caesar. Those who are about to die salute you.”
Those words, spoken to Emperor Claudius in 52 AD are often times attributed to
all gladiators. However, what's often not talked about is how Claudius responded,
“Aut non” or in English or not. Now, what happened next was a bit
of chaos. We were having a ship battle in the coliseum and a lot of these prisoners of wa,
a lot of these slaves they thought the emperor had just actually forgiven them and it called it all
off and they didn't want to fight. Now, according to reports, initially,
Claudius thought about killing them all, but then he realized, hey, we've got to show
this thing has to go on. He jumped out of his seat, which actually made a lot of people laugh
and he went down and he negotiated with the guys. He basically said, “Come on. Put on a good show
and I will allow some of you guys to be spared.” And, apparently,
that's what happened. Tacitus describes it as, “Although, both sides were composed of criminals,
nevertheless, they fought with truly heroic courage. And after a great many had fallen,
they were spared complete annihilation.” Gents, let that sink in for a second.
Condemned criminals, prisoners of war were able to negotiate with an emperor
because basically they were in the spotlight, they were on stage. And emperors weren't the
only ones that wanted a piece of a gladiator. Women fought over their skin shavings. Seriously,
there was this whole profession of [ontors],. These were professional masseuses, who would go in
and use oil and they would give massages to the gladiators and they would save the oil. The skin
shavings the leftovers and they would sell it to affluent women who wanted to look younger.
I know, it sounds ludicrous. I mean, can you imagine people nowadays doing something like that?
I mean, that's like a woman selling her used bath water. It would never happen modern day, right?
But, seriously, gents, however you define power, however you define desire,
from 200 BC to 380 AD, the gladiators had it. In today's video, gents, we're talking about why
were the gladiators so stylish. Why 2,000 years later, are we talking about them and the image
that they imprinted on the world? [Music]
So, before we get into the image and the different styles of gladiators, let's first talk about the
history. Where did this all come from? So, 264 BC is the first official
mention of gladiators, but it started before then and it starts with human sacrifice.
So, if you go back to 500 BC and you look at burial rights,
you'll see a lot of human sacrifice. And the idea here was that blood of somebody that
was less important would help a more important person make their journey to the underworld.
So, when a nobleman when a very important person died,
they would round up prisoners, slaves and they would just make a sacrifice near the graveside.
And what's interesting is all of a sudden, they started changing it a bit. Let's actually
have a fight. It was kind of a softer way of, you know, letting these guys
kill each other versus us sacrificing. That doesn't sound like much of a difference.
Gladiator battle started off as private affairs. You had people just saying, “Hey, these two
beautiful slaves, who I love them both, how about let's have them fight to the death over my dead
corpse, so that, you know, the blood is spilt everywhere and I make it to the underworld?”
The numbers kept going up, start off at two, then you go to four. And it was a display of
wealth. This was just simply families showing off because everyone liked to get around and they
were expecting these fights these gladiator battles to happen. It became a tradition.
Politicians took note here. All of a sudden, people that wanted to get their name out,
they wanted to have influence. They wanted to be able to get a few thousand people together
because that's usually in general what they would draw. You get to state your case of why
you should be elected and then, you let these guys attack each other and kill each other.
Now, an important day to remember is 42 BC. And this is basically when gladiators
went pro. They went from being private to public. I mean, seriously, when the emperor's
got a hold of this stuff, it went on steroids. All of a sudden, Augustus he figured out, hey,
this stuff really works, my popularity is now second to none. He established his power base
and all of a sudden, he's having like, I think like a dozen shows. 10,000 people died
in these dozen shows. He had like 26 shows with animals and almost 4,000 animals were killed.
Now, to give you an idea of the time frame, we're talking 100 BC, 50 BC, 73 BC is when Spartacus
started leading the revolution that went on for 10 years. Basically, him and Crixus and there were a
number of other slaves that they freed. But, these guys were going around and they started the first
gladiator slave revolution or there were multiple ones, but this one
was probably one of the most serious. And it really had an effect on how
gladiators were treated after that. They were actually given a little bit more leash,
but they were never afforded their weapons, unless they were in the arena.
Now, Tiberius, I believe he didn't really like him, but you look at the other ones,
I think it was Caligula, Claudius, Nero. I mean, these guys absolutely
loved and they would actually participate. I don't think it would be fair at all, I think they were
probably jumping in there in the games and, yeah, these guys were afraid to touch the emperor.
[0:04:55] These guys
used it to their advantage. They understood what the gladiator games were. It was a great way
to get the people to love you because you gave them what they wanted - entertainment. And,
you know, they also figured out let's start giving a little bit of free bread as well.
So, now, getting into the specifics, why were the gladiators so stylish?
The first reason in my opinion is that they actually had set uniforms. Even today,
if I were to show you this picture right here, you recognize this guy, right? You recognize this
unique this particular type of gladiator style. Now, this style right here is a retiarus and it's
one of the four main gladiator types. I know there are others and I will talk briefly about them.
If you were to go to any performance any show, if you were in Vesuvius, if you were over in Rome,
most likely, you would actually see someone of this style and you would notice that there
are a lot of things similar about the guys that they choose for this particular look.
Now, the first thing you probably notice about the retiarus is that he doesn't wear
a helmet. In fact, he's a strikingly handsome guy. Are all retiaruses this handsome? Well,
the answer is if you go to Vesuvius if you were in Rome, you would probably see a strikingly
handsome retiarus every time. What's up with this? Well,
these guys were actually selected for their good looks. And besides their good looks,
you'll notice the retiaruses had a pretty similar body profile. Taller
thinner guys that were quick on their feet. Now, the weapons, very recognizable. First up,
you've got the fisherman's net. That net, it's actually got weights on the end of it,
it can be used as a whip, but its primary use is to entangle your opponent.
The retiarus also used a trident, which was useful for keeping the enemy at a distance and striking
the enemy from afar. They also had a dagger and this was usually used only when they were,
you know, instructed to finish off the enemy they had defeated, they would slit the throat.
Another distinctive piece of the retiarus was the gelarus. And this was a shield basically
on the shoulder. It was a metal plate that he would use as a small shield.
Now, the rest of the arm wasn't always fully protected, except with cloth or
wraps and bandages. You would also -- which actually did a decent job
of stopping slashes and even some stabs. Later on, you would see variations in which
they would have a metal plate on there as well, but they wanted freedom of movement. Again,
this was a guy that wanted to be able to out move and be able to out maneuver his opponent.
Now, what about shoes? Well, you notice the retiarus doesn't wear any. In fact,
gladiators in general did not wear shoes. Now, shin guards. He had a type of
fabric protection, he didn't want to have a whole lot of weight. There were
other styles I will talk about that they had a lot more protection on the shins.
But, remember, you know, this particular style, he was about out maneuvering his opponent,
so he wanted to move quick, he didn't want to be weigh down.
The next gladiator style to talk about, the secutor. Why? This style
was often pitted against the retiarus. Now, one thing going for the secutor is
that this helmet did a good job of protecting his face. In addition, it didn't have anything
fancy on the top, so it did a pretty good job of resisting getting tangled up in a net.
And his weapons were pretty simple. He had a large scutum shield and a straight stabbing
gladius. Again, the secutor is not wearing shoes, but he would have more protection on his shins.
So, right there, we see we've got shin guards. Underneath him, he’s got some fabric to provide a
little bit of cushion. But, the whole tactic here is that he's going to go after you, he's going to
have a very strong front. You know, you could try to maneuver around him, but good luck, but he's
going to be stabbing with that sword. Now, with a very similar look,
we've got one of the more famous styles you may have heard of and that's the murmillo. Now,
perhaps, the most recognizable aspect of the murmillo is his helmet.
And these guys were named after a type of fish, that's why you'll often see fish on the helmets.
But, these helmets are going to be large, they are going to be engraved, and they are going to
have additional, going to have feathers, they're going to have plumes. These things were big.
Now, at first glance, he seemed like he has the same weapons as the secutor,
but his were actually military size, so his shield was an imperial shield. It was larger
and his sword was a bit longer and thicker. If you were a murmillo, you were a heavier guy,
you’re a bigger guy. Upper body, you had to be large. You're carrying around
this very heavy shield, this sword and you need to be able to have the stamina to be able to hold
all that up, in addition to a helmet that probably weighed like 15 to 20 pounds.
And, FYI, because of the shield shin protection could be a little bit less on this particular type
of fighter and, of course, he didn't wear shoes. And, of course, let's not forget about the
thracian. Actually, pretty easy to identify because of the curved sica sword in addition
to the smaller shield. So, the thracian is going to have a bit more mobility,
but he's not going to have as much protection. Although, when you look at his shin guards,
oftentimes these are going to be the largest that you'll see out there.
Now, what about that metal arm defense? I absolutely love the look of it. The
thracian had this actually along with the secutor, oftentimes they had it as well.
And besides the armor, how are these guys maintaining their modesty? So, the simple
loin cloth. Now, day-to-day fighting they would go with something very simple, something that pretty
much anyone else would wear his underwear when they were out there on the stage.
And, again, it depends on who they're performing in front of, how much money has been spent on
these gladiators, they would oftentimes wear very nice fabrics for their loin cloth. And it was held
together with a belt. [0:10:04]
And, although, those belts didn't provide a whole lot of protection, they were oftentimes decorated.
They went into a lot of detail. They would have, you know, different maybe tassels on them.
They would have, you know, engravings in them. So, they would, you know, spend a lot of detail.
It makes a lot of sense, you're not wearing much, you might as well, you know, make it look good.
But, the reason these styles mattered is they were set uniforms. You could show up and maybe
it's your second match, maybe it's your fifth. You're in a new city, but you could identify a
particular style that you just really like. There was an emperor they talked about how he
just loved his murmillos and anyone that talked bad about him, well,
you know, he’d cut their hands off or cut their tongues out, you know. It's like people really
were passionate about their particular style. And this allowed you to form an allegiance, almost
like a team, like a particular style that you liked and it allowed you to get deeper into if you
could call it a game, the game of the gladiator. Now, the second reason gladiators were so stylish
is that gladiators were a manifestation of the status and power of certain people in society.
So, if you understand, okay, so there was the gladiator, he was looked over and trained by the
doctore. And above him, there was the lanista. And then, above -- who was above that? Well,
it was investors. They were noblemen. These were people who were vying for power and they realized
that the gladiators out there on the stage were a representation of them.
So, if you had means or if you wanted to look like you had means, if you wanted to send a message,
then you would dress and you would set your gladiators up, so that,
yeah, there are stories of gladiators actually having, you know, decked out in silver, decked
out in gold. They didn't fight in that, they would actually have a kind of a pregame warm-up. This
was a show of power that you were the best at this and that people should follow you.
Now, if you're new to my channel, you may assume when I say style, I'm talking about
clothing. That's not the case. I'm talking about everything. And this takes us to the third reason
why the gladiators were looked up to, despite them being the lowliest of the low of despite
it being an insult to call somebody a gladiator. But, the moment they were out there in the arena
and they were performing, they were doing they were living the virtues of what is perceived to
be a good Roman, all of a sudden, they transcend it. And they were able to show that, hey,
this is a example of how our army has, you know, captured the known world, how
we want our young men and women to live up to. So, those core values, fortitudo, that's strength
and courage. Disciplina, discipline and training. Patientia, stamina. Constantia,
tenacity. Contemptus mortis, fearlessness in the face of death. Even the desire for fame,
amor gloria was something that the Romans thought, hey, this is a great thing and we love seeing
these men in the arena living these ideals. But, seriously, think about the confidence of
a guy that has been out in the arena a dozen times has faced death. Even after you face
death a couple times. I've noticed the men I've met, who have been in tough situations,
they have an air about them. There's something they realize everything else is small compared to
what I’ve gone with and they realize that life is fleeting and people are drawn to that confidence.
Now, gents, if you enjoyed today's video, do me a favor and smash that like button. Seriously,
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And let me know down in the comments if you're like, Antonio, you missed this,
you should have added this. Man, I'm a historian and I would correct you here.
I love hearing from you guys down in the comments, especially when I can get better.
And you can always reach out to me at realmenrealstyle.com. I got a contact form
and I love hearing from, yeah, the smart guys that find the little things wrong with my videos.
And speaking of confidence, let's talk about how women and even men fawned over gladiators.
So many young men, again, it didn't start off this way, but by 200 AD, you had 20% to 30% of
new gladiators actually were volunteers. A lot of men were just drawn to this type of
a life. Yeah, they were down they had wasted their fortune, but they also loved the idea
of the excitement, of actually being able to face their death. And this was something that
everybody was drawn to, especially the ladies. Seriously, this is the graffiti archaeologists
found whenever they unearthed a lot of stuff over at Vesuvius.
Crescens with his trident, who catches the girls at night with his net. Celadus the thracian,
who makes the girls’ hearts beat faster. But, seriously, if you're familiar with
Marcus Aurelius, you may know that his wife, Faustina, actually had a big issue
with a gladiator. She saw him, fell in love. At least, that's what the rumor say.
You know, they tried to figure out how can we get her to stop lusting over this gladiator. Well,
guess what they did? They killed the guy and she bathed in his blood to be able to get over this
infatuation. I don't think he got over that. [0:15:00]
I know, I'm not very funny. But, the reason I think that rumor was started and most historians
agree is because of his son, Commodus, who was just infatuated with the games.
And if you've ever watched Gladiator, you're probably familiar with Commodus. But if you
read history, he was a lot worse than what we saw in the movie, Gladiator. [sound effect]
So, did it ever work out for gladiators? Well, there is an account by Juvenal about
Epia and Sergiolus. So, apparently, Epia was a high born woman that fell - and she
was relatively young - fell in love with an older gladiator that had a wart on his nose,
that was missing part of his arm, who had aged. But, because he had held that sword,
that's what Juvenal said, she could not resist him. And she ran off despite,
you know, the pleas of her family and getting disowned, she just had to be with him. And,
who knows what -- what happened, but, yeah, at least one gladiator had it work out for him.
What video to watch next? How about why are cowboys so stylish? I had a lot of fun with this
video and I break out an iconic American style that really can be recognized around the world.
And I talk about why and how you can bring a little bit of western style into your wardrobe.
Guys, click on the video right here to discover more and find out more. Look,
it's a good video, click on it. [0:16:16] End of audio