The Ancients - Gladiators of Pompeii

Episode Date: August 13, 2023

This episode contains some references to graphic violence.Gladiators are one the most enduring symbols of Ancient Rome, and Pompeii is no exception.In the second episode of our special series on Pompeii, we're separating fact from fiction with the help of Pompeii's leading experts. We'll be taking you to the heart of gladiatorial life, from the Amphitheatre, to the training barracks, and finding out what life was like. Who could become Gladiators? Who were the most famous ones? What were the different types? And what is the complicated but fascinating legacy they've left behind?The series was written and produced by Elena GuthrieThe Assistant Producer was Annie ColoeIt was edited and mixed by Aidan LonerganThe voice actor was Lucy DavidsonDiscover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code ANCIENTS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here.You can take part in our listener survey here.For more Ancient's content, subscribe to our Ancient's newsletter here.

Hi, I'm Tristan Hughes, and if you would like the Ancient ad-free, get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit. With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including my recent documentary all about Petra and the Nabataeans, and enjoy a new release every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com slash subscribe. It's a hot and humid day in ancient Pompeii. The air shimmers with heat as the sun beats down on the amphitheatre. The atmosphere is frenzied with anticipation. A clash of titans is about to unfold. This is what the 20,000 strong crowd have been waiting for all day.

Some have travelled from neighbouring towns, some yet further. What unites them all is their thirst for blood. This is no ordinary fight. No, this is a battle between two distinct worlds. a battle between two distinct worlds. On one side stands Marcus Aetilius, a Tiro, an up and coming gladiator making his debut. And opposing him is Hilarus, a seasoned veteran boasting 12 victories out of his last 14 bouts. This is an odd pairing. Combatants are normally matched for skill and ability, but the crowd are roundy, and so the editor offers them what should be an easy win for Hilaris. It's the Ancients from History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and in today's episode where we're continuing our special series on Pompeii, brought to you from the Bay of Naples itself.

And this time, it's the life and legacy of one of the most fascinating and brutal parts of this city's history. This is Episode 2, Gladiators. The gladiators enter the arena and the audience roars. roars. Atilius' face is covered in an all-enclosing helmet, a horsehair brush bristling from its crown with a bronze visor and grill face. Armed with a gladius, a short Roman sword, and a scutum, a heavy rectangular shield,

he is a myrmillo, one of the strongest gladiators. Hilarus, however, wears no armor, his bare skin exposed to the elements, despite his also being a Mermillo. Why would he? After all, his score sheet speaks for itself, and his years of skill and training should easily outperform even the most heavily armed rookie. A trumpet blasts, and this is their sign to begin. The dance of life and death. The audience's bloodthirsty roars reverberate around the amphitheatre, many in support of the old master Hilarus, but some goading the plucky Atilius. Atilius, fueled by determination and the desire to prove himself, charges

forward with a flurry of strikes. Hilarus effortlessly counters each attack with precise movements and seasoned expertise. Turning to the audience with a laugh, Hilarus goads the incumbent Atilius. The inexperienced gladiator realizes the magnitude of the challenge before him. But he's gifted, and he knows it.

He's beaten every one of his opponents back at the training barracks. Nobody laughs at him there. With each swing, he learns and adapts from his adversaries every move. Hilaris, on the other hand, wields his years of experience like a master, exploiting even the faintest vulnerabilities to deliver punishing blows to the audience's delight. Steel meets steel in a symphony of weapons reverberating throughout the amphitheatre, the heat beating down on the cheering and hollering crowd. Wiping the sweat from his brow, however, Atilius refuses to yield. With each setback, he grows more tenacious.

With each setback, he grows more tenacious. While he's not as refined as Hilarus, his raw talent is shining through. And the crowd turns, rallying behind the underdog. Fatigue and growing irritation gnaw at Hilarus with every encounter. Each clash becomes a testament to the danger of his unarmed state. He has underestimated his adversary. Sensing the tide turning, Atilius closes in in full, dexterous power, poised to deliver the final blow. Hilaris, faced with the prospect of an imminent defeat, raises his hand and extends his thumb in surrender.

The amphitheatre falls into a stunned silence. This was not the outcome they had anticipated. Their cheers turn to fervent cries, imploring the editor for mercy. Hilarus's life is now in his hands. He may have surrendered, but he is still the favorite, and anything other than clemency would prove disastrous for the peace of the city. The crowd hold their breath as the editor wavers, but relents. Hilarus, the veteran fighter, may have lost his third match, but he walks away with his life.

Atilius, meanwhile, has not only earned his victory, but the respect of his opponent and the admiration of the crowd. He stands before them, basking in his victory as they roar his name in admiration. The triumph of the young gladiator resonates throughout Pompeii as a symbol of hope and resilience that forever etching his name not only on the graffitied walls of Pompeii, but in the annals of gladiators starts in the southeastern corner of the city, the amphitheatre. Now, this amphitheatre isn't just any old amphitheatre. It's the oldest stone amphitheatre that we know of in the Roman world, older than Rome's Colosseum. It was built around 70 BC by Gaius Quinctius Valgus and Marcus Porcius. It just about post-dates Pompeii becoming a Roman colony,

which occurred at the beginning of the 1st century BC. At the entrance, an inscription can be found which says, Gaius Quinctius Valgus, son of Gaius, and Marcus Porcius, son of Marcus, as the mayors of the fifth year, for expression of honour for the colony, had built at his own expense the building for the shows and donated to the citizens of the colony in perpetuity, an important statement highlighting Roman influence on the now newly established colony. The location of the amphitheatre is also significant. Situated in the eastern area of the city, just within the walls, it was easy to reach regardless of whether you were coming from the city centre or from the surrounding countryside,

or indeed from a nearby town. People from all levels of Roman society would venture to the amphitheatre and watch the infamous Munera, these arena sports. Taverns and restaurants were strategically positioned on main routes to the amphitheatre, hoping to take advantage of traffic making their way to and from this great arena. The arena spectacles were incredibly popular and the experience had to be enjoyable for all of the spectators, even the plebeians in the higher seats. This would have been a very lively place back in Roman times. This amphitheatre could fit some 20,000 spectators, and that's saying something. Seeing as Pompeii, they believed that it was home to around 15,000 people at the time of the eruption. And for me, that's testament to the popularity of

these arena sports, these arena games back in ancient Roman times, the iconic gladiatorial combats. At 135 metres long and 104 metres wide, this amphitheatre at Pompeii measures larger than the biggest football fields. Oval in shape, amphitheatre literally means around, or on both sides, theatre. It's made up of steps and seats which cover the entire perimeter of the structure. And although this was a day out for everyone, the seats were still divided into social classes, reflecting the social order of Roman society. The lower seats closer to the middle and the centre, nearest the arena, were reserved for the most important people in the city, like magistrates or dignitaries,

whereas the higher seats were reserved for the lower classes. There was even a noticeable curtain wall, acting almost like a physical social barrier, dividing the elite seating area below with the plebeian area above. The type of seat also differed, with the posher seats made of stone and cheaper ones made of wood. Today the wooden seating is no longer visible, but when you visit the amphitheatre, you can see patches of grass in the stands

indicating where this wooden seating would once have been. We can also rely on frescoes, posters and graffiti that archaeologists have discovered on walls all across Pompeii, preserved thanks to the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. This evidence helps give us more of a sense of the gladiatorial culture of Pompeii. As well as billboards and banners highlighting upcoming gladiatorial contests, and graffiti praising certain gladiators as the heartthrob of the girls, well, there's also a fresco that depicts one of the most infamous events in the amphitheatre's history.

A bloody brawl that broke out between the locals of Pompeii and visitors from a nearby town called Nucaria some 20 years before Vesuvius erupted. As archaeologist Dr Sophie Hay explains. So in AD 59, we have this wonderful fresco, even depicting it in Pompeii. There was a huge riot. They have people from Nocera, which is a town just outside Pompeii. They came over to watch the games and obviously some spat broke out. And this fresco, which comes from a house near the amphitheater, shows this.

It's glorious. It's got little groups of people all around the amphitheater just battling it out. Meanwhile, inside the amphitheater, in the arena, you've still got the gladiators, I think, still sort of beating each other up. So Nero, to punish the locals, the Pompeians and the Nocerians for having this riot, he bans gladiator games. He doesn't seem to ban games completely because there are some adverts which do announce athletes and hunts and no mention of gladiators. But he says no gladiator games for 10 years. So it's quite a hefty punishment for a little bit of rioting. But in fact, I think we kind of appreciate now that maybe it only went on after four years or something. And then they were able to bring gladiators back.

But it shows that imperial power can step in even to this little town that somewhere you might not think that there's direct contact with the emperor but he hears about these things and he says no let's ban the games. Must have been some riot if even the Romans thought that this was too far, that this was too violent. Now the amphitheatre was host to a whole range of infamous arena sports. In the morning there were the beast hunts, range of infamous arena sports. In the morning there were the beast hunts, at around midday there were executions, and in the afternoon were the stars of the show, the gladiators. In some ways they still are stars of the show. We are still fascinated with gladiators nearly 2,000 years later, but there isn't actually that many names or images to draw on. When you think of a gladiator, you probably think of this guy.

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance in this life or the next. Seriously, Russell Crowe, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anytime you want to come on the pod, the door,

or should I say the arena, is open. As long as you don't start talking about aliens, we're fine. But Maximus is only the start. Remember Spartacus, the gladiator and slave

who led a revolt against Rome leading to the Third Servile War. These stories are enduring and they help give us an idea of what a gladiator actually was and looks like. But let's quickly define it so we're all on the same page because actually there's quite a lot of legend, of mythology, of fantasy associated with gladiators today. A gladiator was a professional fighter who fought in public spectacles and arenas for the enjoyment of the Roman people. Gladiatorial combat was a sport that evolved throughout the years and probably actually predated the Romans. It may well have originated from the region of Campania, where Pompey was located. But by the time of

Pompey's demise in 79 AD, these fights had progressed from chaotic bloodshed through to efficient and disciplined violence. There were many types of gladiator who specialised in different types of weapons and fighting styles, and you can bet that audiences had their favourites. There was the spear-armed Hoplamachos, also equipped with a small shield. There was the Sagittarius, armed with a bow and arrows. There was the Equus, who entered on horseback, arrows. There was the equies who entered on horseback and the dimachyrus who wielded two swords at once. Or even, there was, really fascinatingly, a schizol. This was a mad class of gladiator, little known and rarely seen in surviving archaeology. He had on one of his hands a great curved blade attached to a metal arm, almost like an artificial blade

arm. The gladiator type you probably most commonly think of though, when you picture a gladiator, was the mermillo. The heavily armoured fighter who fought with a big enclosed helmet that was often decorated with fish motifs, alongside a large rectangular shield similar to a Roman legionary scutum and a short sword. This, a myrmillo, is what Marcus Aetilius was. They were commonly pitted against Thracian gladiators, who looked quite similar to myrmillos, except they had a slightly curved sword called a sika and a smaller shield, making them slightly more agile than the Myrmilos. Myrmilos had heavier gear, they were more protected, whereas the Thracians had less, but they were able to move more easily. This was a deliberate move,

as combatants tended to be pitted against other fighters that were somewhat equally matched, which made the contest between Marcus Atilius, a comparatively inexperienced gladiator, to veteran Hilarus, who we met earlier, all the more extraordinary. Hey, I'm Don Wildman, and on American History Hit, my expert guests and I journey across the nation and through the years to uncover the stories that have made the United States. From first flight to first ladies, from stitching the Star Spangled Banner to striking gold in California to shooting for the moon with Apollo. We've got you covered. Catch new episodes of American History Hit, a podcast by History Hit,

every Monday and Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts. A contrast in equipment was a common feature of gladiatorial fights, where a lighter, more agile gladiator fought a heavier-armed yet slower opponent. It was a type of contest epitomised by the heavy sword and shield wielding secutor, who was armed quite similar to a Mermillo. This class is usually seen pitted against the Retiarius, a lightly armed net fighter, armed with a long trident, a net, and an arm guard called a manica. Did gladiators wear anything else,

aside from these carefully curated weapons and armour? Well, yes. They are also usually depicted wearing a loincloth undergarment. There were also female gladiators in ancient Rome, known as a gladiatrix, although it's not clear whether they made an appearance in Pompeii. And I don't think that it would come as too much of a shock to say that the life expectancy of a gladiator was unsurprisingly quite short, that the life expectancy of a gladiator was unsurprisingly quite short, with most only making it to their mid-twenties. So we know what the gladiators did, but who were these extraordinary people?

The social condition of the gladiators, the normal social condition was a slave. Only after many fighting it's possible that one of them was free, was a free man. That's Mario Grimaldi, an archaeologist who's worked extensively over the years excavating at Pompeii. Normally the gladiators was closed in the school without the possibility to have a relation with the freedom people. What Mario is referring to here is the gladiator barracks, or the school of the gladiators. In the early days, the people who became gladiators were typically enslaved, criminals or prisoners

of war. And despite becoming gladiators, they were still at the bottom of the social pile and weren't permitted to interact with freeborn people. One of the potential prizes was winning your freedom, symbolised by the receiving of a wooden sword called a rudis. One of the potential prizes was winning your freedom. But as the popularity of the games grew, the role of a gladiator became a lucrative position. By the 1st century AD, there's evidence of freeborn people signing up, seduced by the celebrity, prize money and the roar of the crowds. It's also likely that freeborn

people who got themselves into sticky situations financially may have volunteered to help pay off debts – something likely for our friend Marcus Aetilius. Whilst we don't know loads about who he was or what his circumstances were, we know that from his name that Marcus was likely freeborn. Slaves tended to have single names like Hilarus or Felix, and the gladiator Lucius Ricius Felix was likely a freedman who had taken on his former master's name once freed. It looks probable then that Marcus Atilius signed up to be a gladiator voluntarily. We can't be sure of the reasons why, but it may have been to pay off debts, and he may well have won big. There is evidence of his glory in Pompeii, a series of graffiti

scenes outside the Nicarian gate that shows a gladiator going by the name Marcus Attilius, depicted with a large helmet, a long rectangular shield and a short sword, aka a marmillo. In the scene it's Attilius' first match and he's shown fighting Hilarus, who we know was an experienced and veteran fighter, having previously won 12 out of his last 14 matches, far outweighing newcomer Marcus Sotilius. For reference, it's hard to know exactly how many fights a gladiator would have had, but historians estimate between 10 and 20 on average, winning roughly 50 to 75% of them. Of course, all dependent on a particular gladiator's skill. Remarkably, not only did he force Hilarus to surrender, but Marcus Aetilius also went on

to beat another 12-time winning gladiator, Lucius Ricius Felix. And this victory is also depicted in the graffiti, making Marcus one of the most famous gladiators in history. By the time of the eruption in 79 AD, gladiatorial combats were serious sport, and given the different types of gladiator that you could be, serious training was required. Gladiator schools were found across the Roman Empire, and Pompeii was no different in that sense. But the actual location of the barracks, well, that was.

The people decided to change the use of these buildings from the public theatre to the school of gladiators. This is very interesting because, for example, in other cities in the Roman Empire, we don't have the gladiators inside in the centre of the city. So in Pompeii, the gladiators were brought almost to the very centre of the city, next door to the public theatre. This is very strange, no? We have the slave, the gladiator, the exhibition very hard, with blood, with manifesting. And behind this wall, we have the tragedy, the comedy,

the Greek idea, the concept. It's so strange, but together in the same space. Now, this wasn't the original location of the gladiator barracks. For much of the first century AD, that building was further north, on the Via Dinola. But following a great earthquake that rocked Pompeii in 62 AD, well, this barracks was transformed into a private house and the gladiators were relocated to this new barracks right next to the theatre. The barracks itself was the heart of gladiatorial life. Not only was it the place where the

gladiators trained all year round for a handful of matches at the arena, but this was also where they ate, where they slept, where they lived. There was the training ground, there would have been an upper floor, dormitories where they slept, an armoury for the equipment, a kitchen, a mess hall. This was the centre of a gladiator's life at Pompeii in those last few years before the eruption of Vesuvius. Interestingly, when excavations of the gladiator barracks were done, several bodies were discovered, including a woman who had a rich collection of jewels. Some have suggested that she was potentially a wealthy woman visiting a lover, given the sex symbol status afforded to gladiators at the time. However, I must stress that's only one theory. Another is that as it

seemed that the sky was quite literally falling down, she was just taking cover in the gladiator barracks. We'll never know, but I digress. The frequency of gladiator fights in Pompeii is difficult to determine. In some places across the Roman Empire there were as many as once a week, but in others they were often held in conjunction with other public events such as festivals or religious celebrations. Either way, they were an important date in the Roman calendar. So what was a day out at the amphitheatre, watching a gladiatorial combat, actually like? Well, crowds would start the day by heading to the amphitheatre. All week at the Forum and along the main streets, there would have been placards and writing on the walls of public buildings

promising what to expect. As archaeologist Sophie Hay explains. We know from signs actually written in the streets, they're sort of like the adverts for what's coming up next. And they tell you that there's going to be athletes, there's going to be warnings. I like the idea that they tell you there's going to be warnings. It's like a plus point. You're going to be covered, you're going to be in the shade.

You're going to be OK. The air would be filled with the hawking of vendors and traders selling their produce, bookies shouting odds on the upcoming events and collecting wages. There probably would have been smells of fresh bread, sweet wine, roasted meat. Spectators would enter the amphitheatre either through one of the two main entrances at either end of the arena, or by going upstairs, placed on the exterior wall that took you to the highest seats. Where you sat depended very much on your status in Roman society. The higher up the social ladder you were, the closer to the arena floor you would sit.

ladder you were, the closer to the arena floor you would sit. Unless you were a woman. Following a decree by the Emperor Augustus, almost all women were required to sit right at the top of the amphitheatre. Once people had taken their seats, a trumpet would blare signalling the start of the games, and first on the agenda would have been the beast hunts. This could involve anything from boars and bulls pitted against each other to more exotic animals, lions, hippos and crocodiles fighting the specially trained fighters, the bestiarii. Around midday, it's time for the executions of criminals, likely murderers, arsonists or runaway slaves. The executioners here could also be animals, exotic ones like leopards. And if they weren't immediately keen to carry out their duty, then horrifically, there would be beast handlers ready to poke them

into attack. And then after lunch came the main event. The Mortal Kombat of the Gladiators. By now, the hot, sandy arena would be covered in blood from the day's events. The smell of sweat was probably also around. The first set of gladiators would start their journey by walking through one of the two main entrances. The same journey you can do today. With less impending doom, of course. We're in one of the entranceways now, we can see these vaulted roofs in front of us. For me, it's really striking just walking down here right now because we're walking in the footsteps,

not just of spectators, patricians and the elite who would have gone through one of these entrances to get to their special seating right at the front. But we're also walking in the footsteps of gladiators because this amphitheatre, unlike, let's say, that in the Colosseum in Rome, there was no special underground floor. For the gladiators to get to the arena, they too would have had to go through one of these entrances. So it's quite surreal to think that we are literally walking in the footsteps of gladiators today.

Today, the entrance is an echoey walk along a stone floor and stone corridor that descends into the arena. There's not much in the way of decoration. But 2,000 years ago, this entrance would have been lined with statues and colourful frescoes. Here's Sophie again. statues and colourful frescoes. Here's Sophie again. The arena itself were paintings and they had gladiators painted and wild animals and boars running around.

So it kind of gave you an idea of what to expect. There would have been multiple gladiatorial fights, roughly 10 to 13, all ordered by skill, meaning each one was more interesting than the last. The crowd would have been cheering, jeering and applauding, eager to see their favourites fight and lamenting their betting losses. Because that's right, sports betting and gambling is not a modern phenomenon. It was also happening in the arenas of ancient Rome. It's a common misconception that gladiators always fought to the death.

Many would have had managers who would have wanted to make as much money out of them as possible, so a dead gladiator after one fight, well that wasn't a savvy financial investment. A gladiator could signal defeat or surrender by raising his own thumb or digit. But it was usually the decision of the editor, who usually ran the games almost as an ancient referee, as to whether a gladiator was granted a reprieve or not. And he could quite often be guided by the crowd. The death of a favourite gladiator could prove calamitous for the reputation of an emperor or an editor, or the magistrate who had overseen the arrangement of this particular spectacle. And there is evidence in Pompeii showing gladiators being spared.

Scratched onto a wall are details of who fought, won and lost games. And it includes a Pompeian chariot fighter and 51 times winner, a man called Publius Astorius, who was granted a missio, a spared life, after he lost to Skylax, who had his own 26 victories. Make no mistake though, these were still bloody and brutal affairs, even if not everyone died. Most fights would end with one seriously injured, and if the loser put on a good show, they could be given mercy by the crowd. If a gladiator was to be killed, it's possible it was indicated by a thumbs up from the emperor or editor, not down, and the other gladiator would slash him in between the shoulders or straight through the heart. Sadly, the surviving evidence for this is very limited,

so this is just a theory. As the day went on, the more experienced gladiators would fight, with most combats lasting around 10- 15 exhausting minutes, 20 at most, and it was common for the brutal scenes to be accompanied by music, perhaps building to a dramatic climax, or blows marked by trumpet blasts. Winners would collect their prizes at the end and parade them around the arena in a final act of victory. For some, this was a palm branch and an award from the editor. For outstanding fighters, this might have been a laurel crown and some money, while others also won their freedom,

marked by a wooden sword called a rudis, given to them as a symbol of their new freedom. And what of the fallen gladiators? Well, dead gladiators would have been buried in their own gladiator tombs. However, that's an important piece in the puzzle of Pompeii that's never been found, as Mario explains. For example, in Pompeii today, again, we don't have a tomb of gladiators. But in the UK, we have many examples of of tomb of gladiators, also women. But in Pompeii we don't have again a try that there was, for example, a gladiator in the tomb. Gladiators were considered major celebrities of the day. And at the time of Pompeii's destruction in 79 AD, this town was covered in graffiti referring to favourite

gladiators, depicting the best fights, the most dramatic victories and the most brutal losses. And some of that graffiti has survived. Close by the gladiator barracks, Mario took me to see one particular example. So what can I see here? So you see we've got the sword, you've got a small shield. Yes, and especially the big helmet. Oh, that's a helmet. How is it two? Helmet on the top.

It's interesting also the layer of the graphics. Yes. Because it was made not from a loot, but from a children. Imagine that was a child. A child? Yes, because the height of the graphics it's not so high and created the graphics for the fighting that maybe for them is impossible to see in the amphitheater but it's possible to see in the school of gladiators. Is this graffiti a great example actually of how popular gladiators were,

that children were choosing to depict gladiators, even these young kids in Roman times, that they would want to depict gladiators? Is this their popularity? It's like today the soccer players for the ancient past. Now it's very famous people, and especially many children arrive in this area to see

the favourite gladiator. And it wasn't just children enamoured with gladiators either. As well as a kind of celebrity, they were also sex symbols. There's more graffiti that can be found in Pompeii, which refers to Calardus the

Thracian, another tyro, an up-and-coming gladiator with three winds under his belt. Calardus appears to have made quite the impression, as he was, according to this graffiti, the sigh of the girls. There was also Crescens, who's gone down in history himself as the netter of girls by night. Thing is, these examples of graffiti may well just be boisterous boasts. Were Colladas and Crescens really such ladies' men, or did they just like to think so? Regardless, the reputation of gladiators is a complicated one. Whilst they were major celebrities,

they were still one of the lowest rankings in Roman society, along with sex workers. Here's sex historian and host of the Betwixt the Sheets podcast, Kate Lister. There's a story that goes around that they were pimped out to very, very rich women, which is a great story that we love from the ancient world. I don't think there are many actual sources, like proof of that. I mean, I'm sure in the entire history of the Roman Empire, at some point, some woman paid to shag a gladiator. I've no doubt that that happened. But whether or not they were routinely pimped out is, that's much more tough to sort of get a handle on is we don't have evidence for that

we know that the gladiators were viewed in the same legal terms as sex workers we know that their trainers were referred to as pimps so there's a very close association there and they were certainly certainly in an erotic spectacle like half nude buffed guys wailing on each other and you know they didn't always kill each other. It's kind of one of the myths because they were quite expensive. But whether or not they were also selling sex is a tricky one and again it might not be because it didn't happen. It might be because there was a lot of shame attached to a woman paying for sex that was absolutely scandalous. So you're not going to find records of it. There aren't going to be a receipt somewhere, like a scroll

with the date of the transaction or anything like that. But it doesn't mean it didn't happen. But we know gladiators were erotic. Gladiators are an important part of Pompeii's history and culture and their legacy is complex. In some ways, they put Pompeii on the map. The sheer scale of the amphitheatre, their arena, is evidence enough that they were an important show of Roman strength. Yet at the same time, they walked a tightrope between celebrity status and infamy. Whilst they were the heartthrobs of the day, they were still the lowest runs in society, often bound by slavery and the whims of others.

One thing that is for certain, however, is our enduring fascination with these ancient warriors even 2,000 years later. Next time, from one performer to the next, it's sex work in Pompeii. There are some surprising things that we've discovered about the lives of sex workers in Pompeii. For example, those that were working in the brothel, the lupinar. It's always been assumed that they were slaves,

that they were being forced to work there, but actually some of the graffiti on the walls of the people that were working there gives a family name, and that wasn't given to work there, but actually some of the graffiti on the walls of the people that were working there gives a family name and that wasn't given to a slave. So it seemed that there were some freeborn people working there. The episode was presented by me, Tristan Hughes. The series was written and produced by Elena Guthrie, our senior producer, and the assistant producer was Annie Colo. It was edited by Aidan Lonergan. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If you do and you are enjoying our Pompeii series so far then please do leave us a lovely comment and a rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your

podcasts from. It really helps us as we continue to grow the ancients. But that's enough from me, and I will see you in the next episode.