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HOW to LIVE LIKE a Roman a Roman Thanks to the Creative Team: Senior Editor: Alice Peebles Designer: Lauren Woods and Collaborate Agency HOW TO LIVE LIKE A Roman by Anita GanerI Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK HOW TO LIVE LIK A RomanE A Roman Thanks to the creative team: Senior Editor: Alice Peebles Designer: Lauren Woods and collaborate agency Original edition copyright 2015 by Hungry Tomato Ltd. Copyright © 2016 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Hungry Tomato™ is a trademark of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Hungry Tomato™ A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com. Main body text set in Century Gothic Regular 10/13. Typeface provided by Monotype Typography Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Cataloging-in-Publication Data for How to Live Like a Roman Gladiator is on file at the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4677-6355-4 (lib. bdg.) ISBN 978-1-4677-7211-2 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-4677-7212-9 (EB pdf) Manufactured in the United States of America 1 – VP - 7/15/15 OW TO LIVE LIKE AH Roman By Anita Ganeri Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum Minneapolis Contents Gladiator! ...............................................................................................6 For Sale: Gladiators! ............................................................................8 I Am Spartacus .................................................................................... 10 Back to School ..................................................................................... 12 Gladiator in Training ......................................................................... 14 The Heavy Mob.................................................................................... 16 Ludus Life ............................................................................................. 18 The Big Day Arrives ...........................................................................20 Inside the Arena ..................................................................................22 Thrown to the Lions ...........................................................................24 Let the Bout Begin! .............................................................................26 Dead or Alive? .....................................................................................28 Ten Gory Gladiator Facts ..................................................................30 Glossary................................................................................................. 31 Index .......................................................................................................32 Gladiator! It’s the first century, and you’ve traveled back in time to a village in the ancient Roman province of Gallia (Gaul) in northern Europe. The Romans first invaded more than one hundred years ago and have been here ever since. My name is Felix, and this village was my home until a few days ago. Some of the Gallic tribes around here were quite happy to be ruled by the Romans, but my tribe decided to pick a fight. Big mistake. We were no match for the Roman army. Their soldiers are a brilliant fighting force. Needless to say, we lost the battle and many of us were taken prisoner. We’re being marched off to Rome to be sold as gladiators. Things are not looking good. Warning! Once you’re captured, your fate is out of your hands. Escape is not an option, even if you actually make it to Rome—which is not guaranteed. 6 By the time of this story, Rome had conquered most of the lands (shown here in red) around the Mediterranean Sea, and the Romans ruled over the most powerful Rome empire in the world— worse luck. Mediterranean Sea Who were the Romans? The Romans were a people who lived in the ancient city of Rome in Italy. Rome was founded in 753 BCE by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. They had been left to die by the river but were rescued and raised by a she-wolf. They built the city on the spot where the wolf found them. At least, that’s the story the Romans have always told us. 7 For Sale: Gladiators! The good news is that I survived the journey. The bad news is that I’m at the slave market, about to be sold as a slave. The bidding has just begun. The slave dealer’s asking people to call out their best prices, and he’ll sell me to the person who pays the most. That’s it! I’ve been sold to a buyer who works for the emperor. He and his boss plan to turn me into a gladiator and make themselves (even) richer with winnings from my fights. The Romans are huge fans of gladiator fights. If you keep winning, you can earn fame and fortune. If you don’t . Well, I’m going to try not to think about that. Warning! At the slave market, try to look young, strong, and healthy if you want to be bought by a gladiator owner. 8 It’s a hard life being a Other ways of slave in ancient Rome. You might end up laboring in a becoming a gladiator rich person’s house or on a Being taken prisoner is just one way of farm, or you could be sent becoming a gladiator. You might also try these: down the mines or stone quarries. This is almost Be a dangerous Land yourself in a death sentence because 1criminal. A judge 3serious debt. If you they’re such dangerous could sentence you to owe loads of money, places to work. crucifixion, to a stint you may have to sell in the slave mines, or yourself to a gladiator to fight as a gladiator. school as a way of paying off your debts. Be a disobedient 2slave. Disobeying Volunteer. You your master or, worse, 4can sign up as as threatening him a volunteer, though it with violence, will means selling yourself guarantee you a place to a gladiator school. at gladiator school. Girls can also train as gladiators, though not many choose this as a career. All you need is a talent for swordfighting, and you could soon be starring in the arena. 9 Dead or Alive? The raised finger is an appeal to the emperor. He has to decide if my opponent should live or die. The emperor turns to the crowd. I can hear people shouting, “Mitte!” (“Let him go!”) Then a roar goes up of “Iugula! Iugula!” (“Kill him! Kill him!”) Silence falls as everyone watches the emperor. Will it be thumbs-up to let my opponent live, or thumbs-down to let him die? Today the emperor shows mercy. I do not have to deliver the death blow. Feeling numb, I slump to my knees. It’s over, and I’ve won my first fight. Congratulations! As the victor, you have a chance to become a celebrity with an army of fans. You’ll also win a palm branch, sometimes shaped as a crown, plus a silver dish piled with money. 28 If you keep on winning (and there are no guarantees), you may be presented with a rudis (wooden sword). This marks the end of your service and the start of your freedom. You could go back home to your family or find work as a trainer at a gladiator school. Warning! Winning has its downside. It means you live to fight another day. If a gladiator dies, his body is dragged from the arena and fresh sand is sprinkled over the blood. To make sure he isn’t just pretending, one man dressed as Charon (a figure from myth who rows the dead to the Underworld) hits him with his hammer. Another man, dressed as Mercury (messenger to the gods), pokes him with a red-hot stick. 29 Ten Gory Gladiator Facts The word gladiator comes from the 1Latin gladius, which means “sword.” The first gladiator fight probably 2took place at a funeral, in honor of the dead man. A gladiator’s life was often brutal 3and short. Most only lived to their mid-twenties, if they were lucky. Before the real bout began, there 6was a mock fight between two If the emperor decided a retired fighters armed with wooden 4wounded gladiator should die, the swords. victor ended his opponent’s life with a quick blow. Several Roman emperors took part 7in gladiator fights. Guess what? During the one-hundred- They always won. 5day opening ceremony at the Coliseum, around nine thousand Roman children played with animals were killed in fights 8gladiator action figures made from with gladiators. clay. Gladiators were superstars! Dead gladiators were dragged 9through the Porta Libitinensis (Gate of Death), and their weapons were given back to their lanista. Gladiators belonged to special 10burial clubs that made sure losers received a decent funeral. 30 Glossary barracks palus blocks of rooms for soldiers, or in this a wooden post used by gladiators for case, gladiators practicing swordfighting skills Coliseum pompa the largest amphitheater (open-air the procession of the gladiators into venue) in the Roman Empire the arena at the start of the games crucifixion sacramentum gladiatorum a form of execution in which the the sacred oath sworn by gladiators as victim was nailed to a wooden cross they began their training imperial sestertii connected to the emperor or the ancient Roman coins made from brass empire tiers lanista rows of seats, placed one above the manager and chief trainer of the other a gladiator school ludus gladiatorius a school where gladiators lived and trained ludus imperialis the top gladiator school in ancient Rome 31 INDEX advertising, 21 games, 20, 21, 24–28 school for gladiators, 10, animals, 22, 24–25, 30 12–13, 18–19 appeals, 28 imperial ludus, 12, 22 seating, 22, 23 arena, 22–23 injuries, 18 slaves, 8–9 Spartacus, 10–11 barracks, 18–19 lanista, 12, 16 becoming a gladiator, 9 ludus gladiatorius, 10, thumbs- up/thumbs-down, bestiarius, 24 12–13, 18–19 28 training, 14–15 Coliseum, 22–23, 30 names, 14 types of gladiators, 16–17 criminals, 9, 24 oath, 13 wild beast hunts, 24–25 dead gladiators, 29, 30 winning fights, 28, 29 doctors, 18 palus, 14 pompa, 20 emperors, 22, 28, 30 price on a gladiator’s life, 26 feasts, 21 procession to arena, 20 fights, 26–29, 30 punishments, 15 food, 19, 21, 25 freedom, 29 referees, 27 Romans, 6–7 The Author Anita Ganeri is an award-winning author of educational children’s books.
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