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Fik Meijer
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The Gladiators: History's Most Deadly Sport Paperback – Illustrated, March 6, 2007

by Fik Meijer (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 88 ratings
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Superfit, muscled, and macho, gladiators were hero-worshipped for their skills and courage as they fought to the death, yet despised for their humble status. For over six cruel centuries, tens of thousands died in the blood soaked arenas of Rome and its colonies, watched by enthralled crowds screaming for violence. Professor Fik Meijer has ingeniously pieced together their true stories from contemporary evidence, describing the gladiators' origins, daily life, training, and the odds of their survival pitted against their legions of fans' lust for blood and spectacle.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    March 6, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0274876760
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312364021
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Forget Russell Crowe in a skirt and sandals, this is the real deal if you want to know about blood and guts in the arena. The author has pieced together thousands of documents, eyewitness testimonies, and engravings to tell in vivid detail the story of the gladiators of ancient Rome.” ―The Daily Mail [UK]

“Fik Meijer, a professor of ancient history in Amsterdam, gives fascinating insight into Ancient Rome's gladiators. ... An in-depth book....” ―The Big Issue

“[Meijer] has written a history that is at once interesting, informative, and fast-paced. Thumbs up or thumbs down? No contest.” ―Leeds Guide

About the Author

Fik Meijer is a Professor of Ancient History at the University of Amsterdam and is the author of Emperors Don't Die in Bed and The Gladiators: History's Most Deadly Sport.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0312364024
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition (March 6, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0274876760
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312364021
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 88 ratings

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Fik Meijer

Fik Meijer

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
88 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

M.J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and informative, highly recommended
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Due to the title and that the book was on the shorter side I was a bit skeptical that it would be a sensationalized "reimagining" of gladiatorial history. But instead I came away with an extremely clear picture of what the gladiator games were actually about. A few things make this book unique. First it takes a "layered" approach - it starts high level giving the history of the overall practice, discussing the politics and economics behind it. Each chapter then zoom in one level of detail, and toward the end of the book the author discusses the day to day training and life of gladiators, and the final chapter describes a full day at the colosseum, pieced together from letters and diaries. And that's the other thing the book does fantastically well - it makes it very clear what we know and how we know it, being careful to point out sources that may not be reliable, and any guesses or conclusions inferred from partial evidence. It looks like a bit of a casual read - and it is very accessible. But it's been a year or two since I read it and I think this may be one of my favorite history books out of all that I have read (and I have read quite a few). No fluff, just very efficiently communicating the body of knowledge as it currently stands around the history of gladiators. Wish more history books were like this.
7 people found this helpful
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HokieShef
5.0 out of 5 stars Author keeps your attention!
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2016
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Huge Roman history buff. I love reading about their lifestyle, culture and history....especially gladiators.

Books like this are hit or miss. All books of this nature are extremely informative, however they can be read in two different ways....attention keeping and monotonous/boring. I hate the books that feel like I'm back in my college lectures with some old fart preaching the same crap that he's been preaching for years and has lost all enthusiasm. This book was NOT like that. The author switches topics quite frequently to keep you reading. I don't want to read 69 pages about the armor they used....just give it to me in 10 pages or less...and that's what he does!

Read this! You'll really like it and IT WILL keep your attention.
One person found this helpful
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Brandon Manning
5.0 out of 5 stars Any questions you had and more answered
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2012
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Why did I give this book 5 stars???

I wont even get into the hundreds of lions and leapords and bulls and bears in Collosium at one time, below are just facts on gladiators, the book mentions both and more.

Did you know in one on one gladiator matches there was ALWAYS A REFEREE? You dont see that in the movies.

Did you know a gladiator had a 90% chance of walking out alive from any match, rarely they were killed until over centuries the mob wanted more blood

Did you know The best gladiators wernt undefeated, a gladiator had a record of 36 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses

Did you know a popular gladiator disarmed his opponent, the referee re-armed him, and when the opponent disarmed him, he was let killed

Did you know some gladiators were volunteers but only paid 10-20% of their earnings, their Trainer/Dominus/Lunista got 80-90%. Most were slaves.

On the cover is says "Meijer (author) understands exactly what readers want to know about gladiators and anticipates every question" - The New York Times
when I was finished with the book i couldn't think of a single thing more ide like to know, even as I read facts came up that if I knew were potentially there i would have asked the question, but i didnt see it comeing.
3 people found this helpful
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Anibal Madeira
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable account of the Ludi and Munera
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
Fik Meijer teaches Ancient History in the University of Amsterdam and he truly wrote a wonderful book where almost every chapter is extremely well thought. Not only the subjects are displayed in a competent succession, the images are inserted in the relevant parts of the text and have been exquisitely picked to maximize the learning factor and illustrate the points of view the author is conveying (contrary to most recent publications, which prefer to insert a central block of images, saving in costs and being able to print them in different higher quality paper, but losing something much more valuable – the insertion of images and maps in the relevant section).

The author discusses many issues including the origins of gladiatorial combat, the evolution of their popularity and dimension, all facets of the life and death of a gladiator (including their recruitment, backgrounds, training and types of gladiator, gladiatrixes, life expectancy and even career opportunities after leaving gladiatorial combat…if you’re lucky).

The author uses modern investigation and ancient testimonies in a remarkable way which makes this book one of the most interesting regarding this subject. The author also delves into a typical game day in the colosseum, the history of the Amphitheatrum Flavium and the spread of other buildings dedicated to gladiatorial combat through all the Roman Empire and also the gradual decline of those shows. Among other subjects abridged you will also find the various methods of executing a criminal in the arena, naumachiae, hunts and combats between bestiarii and wild animals, etc.

And this leads me to some small remarks about this book. The English title is “The Gladiators – History’s most deadly sport”, but an enormous amount of the book isn’t dedicated to them but to other roman entertainment or judicial systems that had nothing to do with proper gladiatorial combat or lives. Possibly the Dutch version has a different title and the author had absolutely no say regarding this slight mistake. There are other small issues that need correction such as the mention that Vestal’s must be virgins for life (untrue, only while they remained vestals; although it was considered a bad match marrying an ex-vestal) or the translation of the Graffiti of the fight between Marcus Attilius against Hilarus, which the author states that the latter had 14 wins which is incorrect; he fought 14 times and won 12.

With a good glossary of Latin terminology, a fair list of amphitheaters and their dimensions, very good black and white pictures this is truly a fascinating book regarding the Roman games.
4 people found this helpful
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James Kalomiris, The Peripatetic Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2012
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You will find this book the perfect reading experience. It is informative, a good read, and a fast paced page turner. You could find the same information in a stuffy academic treatise - but without the enjoyment. The author makes generous of illustrations and contemporary sources. He also answers that age-old question: Did the Romans ever use the thumbs up, thumbs down during the fights? This reviewer will not spoil the answer; it is not what you would expect the answer to be. Just buy the book and find out.
5 people found this helpful
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Robert C. Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars A look at the Roman world
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2021
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The most striking thing is that stark contrast between the Roman world and the modern one. Jesus’ enormous impact on society boggles the mind!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Balibou
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
A very good account of the life of the Roman gladiators. The book is well documented yet reads easily. I did not find it as good however as the book called Gladiators the unofficial guide, which I think gives you a better sense of the actual life of a gladiator.
One person found this helpful
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Kevin Uren
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2017
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A good read.
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Laila
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
Well researched and entertaining
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