Gladiators didn't die as often as you think

Battles between gladiators were common in the Roman Empire. Not only in the famous Colosseum, but also in many other arenas, spread around the world today, men and animals battled, becoming famous and amusing the population.

This custom began as an elaborate form of human sacrifice, but during the Empire the focus of the battles was primarily entertainment. Although we had the impression that they were forced to fight, some volunteered, putting their lives on the line. But if battles were so deadly, would it be worth it?

Today we know that the stakes were not so great, especially for gladiators who already had fame, and the reason is well known to all: money. For battles to be interesting, they needed training, accommodation, and food, thus creating warriors for entertainment.

Given the appropriate adaptations, we can compare the battles to MMA fights today, in which fortunately the fighters do not train to die or use weapons, because in archaeological excavations were found mosaics that had the image of gladiators, proving that there was a twisted by specific fighters. There are even reports of emperors who had posters showing the most popular.

Since the purpose of the battles was to distract the population, and they loved to show courage, animals and scenarios were also used to create situations, more or less like a life-threatening theater.

Today it is estimated that the chance of a gladiator coming out alive was approximately 90%. Although fame and wealth could be achieved, they were still slaves, and few could break free in battle. Anyway, anyone who wanted to see the royal carnage arrived earlier in the arena, for in that period convicted criminals and political prisoners were put to fight - but in this case without any fame or glory.