A vivid picture of Roman life, Baker's evocative history tells of the extraordinary gladiators, trainers & emperors who participated in history's most violent game. Condemned yet feared by emperors, slaughtered & yet adored by the masses, a gladiator's life was usually short & violent. His existence was an abyss of bloody darkness illuminated faintly by the prospect of honor, wealth, public attention & the amorous attentions of women. With fear & danger as companions, his enemy was as likely to be a starved tiger as a fellow battle-hardened human. Yet men gave up their freedom to become gladiators, noblewomen gave up their positions to elope with them & emperors risked death to fight these slaves. A work of history that reads like fiction, The Gladiator recreates the stories of Spartacus, Commodus, Caligula & others, bringing to life this most extraordinary empire & the unique players in the gladiatorial arena.
Introduction
Chapter 1 Duty to the Dead
Chapter 2 A Branch of Politics
Chapter 3 How to Kill, How to Die
Chapter 4 The Revolt of Spartacus
Chapter 5 Curio's Swivelling Amphitheatre
Chapter 6 Realms of Chaos
Chapter 7 Duels to the Death
Chapter 8 Battles Upon the Water
Chapter 9 Battles Against the Beasts
Chapter 10 The Emperors Who Fought as Gladiators
Chapter 11 The Horror of the Executions
Chapter 12 A Day at the Games
Chapter 13 The End of a Cruel Era
Glossary
Bibliography & Suggested Further Reading