• Examines the life of a gladiator, including the ludus, or gladiatorial schools; their training and fighting techniques; the gladiator ethos of maintaining dignity in death; and their ambiguous role in Roman society as both outcasts and occasional celebrities and sex symbols • Explores the different types of gladiator, including retiarius, or net-fighter; andabatae, who fought blindfolded; equites, who rode on horseback; essedarii, who battled from chariots; and gladiatrix, or female gladiators • Includes more than 200 artworks, photographs, and maps; plus a free poster