#5
:
Thumbs
down
Meant
Death
As
shown
in
the
movies
,
the
Emperor
in
attendance
chose
whether
the
gladiator
would
live
or
die
using
the
thumbs
up
or
thumbs
down
.
In
reality
,
historians
believe
that
though
emperors
did
determine
the
of
a
gladiator
using
these
gestures
,
their
meanings
are
reversed
:
that
thumbs
down
meant
the
gladiator
would
be
spared
,
while
thumbs
up
meant
he
would
be
slain
in
a
Mortal
Kombat
-
like
finish
.
When
an
was
not
in
attendance
?
usually
in
battles
outside
the
Colosseum
?
the
crowd
served
as
the
reaper
,
as
the
volume
of
cheers
determined
the
.
Historians
surmise
that
other
gestures
were
implemented
perhaps
more
often
than
thumbs
down
,
including
a
closed
fist
with
two
protruding
fingers
to
signal
mercy
.
#4
:
There
Were
No
Woman
Gladiators
Because
female
gladiators
are
in
most
media
portrayals
,
it
is
thought
that
women
were
not
a
part
of
the
barbaric
games
.
This
is
untrue
,
as
women
?
both
free
and
slaves
?
fought
as
legitimate
gladiators
.
There
were
many
fights
featuring
female
,
and
some
were
given
larger
roles
in
the
events
as
they
proved
themselves
as
gifted
fighters
.
A
notable
gladiatrix
was
Mevia
,
who
was
pitted
against
animals
in
incredibly
entertaining
bouts
,
and
there
is
also
an
account
of
a
long
spectacular
fight
with
two
women
,
"
Amazon
"
and
"
Achillia
,
"
which
ended
in
a
.
Being
more
of
a
novelty
,
women
often
fought
handicapped
opponents
and
competed
in
hunting
challenges
,
but
these
spectacles
ended
around
200
AD
after
Emperor
Severus
them
from
the
games
?
though
some
still
fought
illegally
.
#3
:
Christians
Were
Thrown
to
the
Lions
in
Gladiator
Events
History
has
us
believe
that
Christians
were
in
Gladiator
events
during
the
Roman
Empire
.
While
Christians
were
indeed
executed
as
part
of
Roman
rule
,
there
are
zero
accounts
of
a
Christian
being
thrown
to
the
lions
at
the
Colosseum
,
or
being
involved
in
any
gladiatorial
sacrifices
.
In
fact
,
most
Christian
happened
in
the
dawn
of
the
Empire
,
and
by
the
time
gladiation
became
popular
,
Christians
were
free
citizens
.
Also
,
animals
were
made
mostly
to
fight
each
other
,
or
to
be
slain
in
competitions
against
inferior
opponents
,
like
Emperors
who
decided
to
participate
.
Some
believe
that
this
myth
has
been
used
as
pro
-
Christian
propaganda
,
in
a
way
to
accentuate
the
persecution
that
Christianity
faced
during
its
rise
to
power
.
#2
:
Gladiators
Were
Always
Slaves
This
can
also
be
seen
in
the
movies
.
While
a
solid
of
people
were
forced
into
the
profession
through
slavery
,
there
were
citizens
?
even
Emperors
themselves
?
who
elected
to
fight
through
their
own
free
will
.
This
is
becauseGladiators
were
the
world's
first
sports
.
To
be
a
gladiator
was
to
get
instant
fame
and
glory
.
They
were
beloved
,
,
idolized
:
there
were
action
figures
,
there
were
billboards
,
and
the
best
of
them
even
got
sponsorships
.
They
routinely
filled
the
Colosseum
that
is
estimated
to
have
held
as
many
as
80
,
000
,
along
with
400
other
arenas
throughout
the
Empire
.
People
even
in
gladiator
schools
,
which
were
abundant
in
Rome
,
to
the
tune
of
100
institutions
.
There
were
few
others
ways
a
plebeian
could
get
noticed
,
let
alone
become
a
celebrity
or
sex
symbol
.
#1
:
Gladiators
Always
Fought
to
the
Death
The
best
Gladiators
were
prized
that
managers
and
promoters
could
not
afford
to
lose
.
Therefore
,
not
every
fight
was
to
the
death
.
Referees
were
instated
to
stop
major
fights
when
a
person
got
,
so
as
to
allow
the
fighter
the
full
milking
of
his
worth
.
Of
course
,
this
safeguard
was
only
installed
for
certain
events
,
and
the
toll
of
the
occupation
severely
weathered
the
fighters
.
It
is
estimated
that
1
in
5
matches
resulted
in
a
death
,
and
that
most
gladiators
died
by
25
.
The
death
count
of
Gladiators
during
the
Roman
reign
was
5000
.
Multiply
that
by
700
years
and
you
have
3
.
5
million
deaths
from
just
one
sport
?
makes
hockey
seem
tame
,
doesn't
it
?
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