As for the amphitheaters2
where gladiatorial combats took place, they were as common in Italy
and the Roman Empire as skyscrapers are in the modern city. The word arena, referring to the
site of the games, literally means sand, which is what covered the floor and soaked up the blood.
Openings in the floor of the arena permitted animals to be released into it. A large amphitheater
held at least thirty thousand spectators, and the largest amphitheater of all, the Flavian
Amphitheateror Colosseum3
in Rome, seated around fifty thousand.
a. Italy c. Colosseum
b. Roman Empire d. arenas or amphitheaters
Question 2
Gladiators were men who carried a gladius, or sword, and fought to the death as entertainment for
citizens of the Roman Empire. Gladiators took part in so-called games or combat before large
crowds. Armed with various specialized weapons, they fought each other and sometimes wild
animals. Some unfortunates were thrust into fights with no weapons at all. Most gladiators were
condemned criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves bought for the purpose. The most famous slave
gladiator was Spartacus, a Thracian.1
a. gladiators c. prisoners of war
b. Roman Empire d. Spartacus
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