The Roman Gladiators

Today we’re going to read a story about a man who became a Roman gladiator—someone who fought with other men as a game. The man in the story, Servius, is imaginary. But there were thousands of men just like him in ancient Rome.

Servius lived in a small village near the sea. He spent his days working with metal—he made plows and hoes for the farmers who lived near him, and fishhooks for the fishermen. He liked his work. At night, he would sit with his friends around a fire and talk, sing songs and tell stories. Servius was happy.

One day, as Servius was heating the metal to make a new hoe, he heard a thundering noise. He looked up, wondering if it were about to rain. But the noise wasn’t thunder! It was the sound of horses’ hooves. Around the corner of the peaceful village rode a group of men with swords, shields and spears. They wore helmets and red cloaks.

“We are Romans!” the biggest man shouted. “We claim this village for Rome! Now you must obey us!”

Servius looked around for a weapon, but all he could see was a hoe, hanging on the wall! He grabbed it and swung it at the man, but he missed. Two other Roman soldiers leaped from their horses and seized Servius from behind.

“You are our prisoner!” the big man said. “You’ll return with us to Rome.”

They put Servius on a horse and made him ride with them for days and days down a broad, wide road of stone. Finally Servius saw the wall of a city ahead. It was the highest wall he had ever seen. A man standing on another man’s shoulders couldn’t even see over it.

The soldiers took him through a small gate in the city wall. When they came out the other side, Servius found himself in a narrow, crowded street full of people. Little wooden booths lined both sides of the street. Inside the booths, men and women were selling fruit, pieces of cooked meat, bread, cabbages and carrots, and jugs of cheap wine.

Soon, the street grew wider, and the houses grew bigger. Servius began to see green gardens, fountains, and houses made out of white marble. There were fewer people here, and they were dressed in fancier clothes—white togas with borders of red and blue. They were approaching the center of Rome.

“Where are you taking me?” Servius asked one of the soldiers who rode beside him.

“To the gladiator school,” the soldier said. You’re big and strong, and you have courage. You’ll make a great fighter, once the trainers at the school have taught you what to do.”

Servius felt his mouth go dry with fright. He had heard about the notorious gladiators of Rome—fierce men who fought with each other and with wild animals while a cheering crowd looked on. “But what if I don’t want to be a gladiator?” he said.

“You don’t have any choice,” the soldier answered. “You’re our prisoner. Go to the gladiator school, or be executed.”

They stopped at a high stone wall, and two Romans took Servius through the gate. Inside, a large courtyard was full of men, training for their gladiator matches. At the center, a man wearing only a loincloth and a belt was trying to throw a fishnet over his opponent. He brandished a three-pointed spear in his other hand. The man who fought against him was waving a short sword and defending himself with a large round shield. His helmet was covered with pictures of fish.

“The man with the net is called a net-fighter,” one of the soldiers told Servius. “The other one is a fish man. The net-fighter is trying to catch him in the net and stab him. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll learn how to be a net-fighter!”

Servius’ knees were shaking with terror. If this was just the training camp, what would it be like to fight a real gladiator fight, in the arena? How could he ever survive?