Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Gladiatores

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

GLADIATO'RES (μονομάχοι). Gladiators. A general name given to men who were trained to combat with deadly weapons, for the amusement of the Roman citizens, at public funerals, in the circus, and more particularly in the amphitheatres. They were selected for the most part from captives taken in war, but were sometimes slaves, and more rarely freeborn citizens, who volunteered for the occasion. They were also divided into different classes, with characteristic names, descriptive of the weapons and accoutrements they used, or the peculiar mode in which they fought; all of which are enumerated in the Classed Index, and illustrated under their respective titles; but the annexed figure (Gladiatores/1.1), respresenting the portrait of a famous gladiator in the reign of Caracalla, from a sepulchral monument, will afford an idea of the usual appearance, arms, and accoutrements of the ordinary gladiator, who was not enlisted in any of the special bands.

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  Gladiatores/1.1