Among the most popular entertainments in all parts of the Roman world were shows in which gladiators fought each other. These contests were help in an amphitheater which is a large oval building, without a roof, in which rising tiers of seats surrounded a sandy arena. Canvas awnings, supported by ropes and pulleys, were spread over part of the seating area to provide shelter from the sun. Many arenas in the empire were large enough to seat the entire population of the town and still have seats for many visitors from nearby towns. Spectators paid no admission fee as the shows were given by wealthy individuals at their own expense.
Soon after dawn on the day of a show, the spectators would begin to fill the amphitheater. A trumpet blared and priests came out to preform the religious ceremony with which the games began. Most shows started off with a venatio or wild beast hunt. The bestiae were released from their cages into the arena, where they were hunted by specifically trained beast-fighting gladiators called bestiarii.
The hunters, who wore light clothing, relied upon a thrusting spear and nimble feet. By the end of the hunt, all the animals, and occasionally a few bestiarii, had been killed and their bodies were dragged out from the sandy floor of the arena to be disposed of.
Following the venatio, at around noon, public executions were held. Many of the spectators took this time to step out for some air or to get some food since the executions were considered by many to be unworthy of their attention or just plain boring following the venatio. When the crowd returned following the executions, the main event of the day began: The gladiatoral battles.
The gladiators, after warming up and getting ready off stage, entered in a procession, paraded around the arena and saluted the president of the show. The gladiators were then paired off to fight each other and the contest began.
Gladiators were usually slaves or condemned criminals; they lived and trained in a school or barracks under the supervision of a lanista. All gladiators were not armed in the same way. Some, who were known as Samnites, carried an oblong shield and a short sword; others, known as Thracians, had a round shield and a sword or dagger. Another type of gladiator armed with a sword and shield wore a helmet with a crest shaped like a fish; the Greek name for the fish was "mormillos" and the gladiator was known as a murmillo. The murmilliones were ofter matched against the retiarii who were armed with retia(nets) and three-pronged tridents These matches were usually portraing the sea god Neptune(the retiarius) subduing the creatures of the sea(the murmillo). Other types of gladitors fought with spears, on horseback, or from chariots, occasionally with scythe blades.
The fight ended with the death or surrender of one of the gladiators. The defeated gladiator then raised his arm in appeal to the crowd. The spectators indicated their wishes on the fate of the gladiator by turning their thumbs up or down; probably turning the thumb up and yelling "iugulo!"(go for the jugular!) meant "kill him" while turning the thumb down and yelling "mittat!"(let him go!") meant "let him live". The final decision for death or mercy was made by the president of the games. It was not unusual for the life of the loser to be spared, especially if he were a well-known gladiator witha good number of victories to his credit.The most successful gladiators were great favorites with the crowd and received gifts of money from their admirers. One popular Pompeian gladiator was even described as suspirium puellarum: the girls heart-throb. Eventually, if a gladiator survived long enough or showed great skill and courage, he would be presented with a rudius. This was a high honor and meant that he would not have to fight in the arena again.
