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 Roman Gladiator Excerpt May 14 Midday I lived in the city of Rome. I was poor, I had little money because my family and I could not find work. At the time, there were not enough jobs in Rome, an effect of the over population, which had risen to about one million people living in Rome. The separation between the rich and the poor citizens became so large it was tearing the empire apart. The living conditions weren’t any better. I lived in what you would call an island, also known as a six or more story building that covered one full block. I was not the only resident many people lived in one island. The wealthy citizens in Rome lived in what is called a domus or a house. These had marble walls, colored stone floors, windows made from small glass panes, rooms heated by a furnace, and pipes that brought clean water into the domus. I did not have a proper education either. Until I was twelve I went to school with all the boys and girls from Rome, then we were separated. The wealthy boys went to finish their formal educations. They studied reading, grammar, writing, music, geometry, and arithmetic. The boys from the poor families went to work. Wealthy girls had private formal education, poor girls also went on to work. When I was done with school I went to find work in the city. There was not enough work for me or my family. We could not afford to live in our own home, my parents needed jobs so we could pay rent and buy food. We traveled to the province of Rome called Gallia, which covered a large portion of northern Europe. My parents found work there, my dad got a job as a farmer and my mother found work in tailoring. We bought a small house and built a life there. Three years after we moved the village was invaded. Roman soldiers took our horses and chariots, our jewelry, and our weapons. I was marched into the heart of the Empire to begin life as a slave. When we got to the city of Rome I was passed to a slave dealer, then sold to the highest payer. My owner was going to make me a gladiator. He sent me to a ludus gladiatorius or a school where slaves, prisoners, bankrupt and condemned men went to be trained as gladiators. When we got to the school they handed me off to a trainer. I was told that I would be trained until I was ready to fight in the Colosseum. Article posted March 8, 2012 at 08:11 PM • comment • Reads 566 • see all articles |
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