Gladiators
Deadly Arena Sports of Ancient Rome
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Narrated by:
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Matthew Josdal
About this listen
A history of gladiators - with an added bite!
It's hard for modern listeners to truly grasp the spectacle that was arena sports in ancient Rome, which pitted man against man and man against beast in mortal combat. Our modern games of football and hockey, or even boxing and MMA, truly pale in comparison. The Gladiators is a comprehensive survey of these ancient sports, focusing on gladiatorial combat and the beast hunts (venationes). While many books have been written on arena spectacles in ancient Rome, they generally neglect the venationes, despite the fact that the beast hunts, of various dangerous wild animals (including lions, tigers, elephants, and rhinos), were almost as popular as gladiatorial spectacles and endured over a longer period of time. Dr. Christopher Epplett gives a full and detailed treatment of both types of spectacle.
The author starts by explaining the origins of these bloody combat sports in the late Roman Republic before surveying the growth of these events during the first two centuries of the Empire, when emperors possessed the resources to stage arena spectacles on an unmatched scale. The details of the training, equipment, and fighting styles used by different types of combatants are covered, as are the infrastructure of the arenas and behind-the-scenes organization that was essential to the successful staging of arena events. Particular attention is paid to the procurement of the countless wild animals necessary to stage venationes throughout the Empire. A gladiator book with added bite, The Gladiators is sure to be welcomed by scholars and general listeners alike.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for listeners interested in history - books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times best seller or a national best seller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2016 Christopher Epplett (P)2017 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
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Pax Romana examines how the Romans came to control so much of the world and asks whether traditionally favorable images of the Roman peace are true. Goldsworthy vividly recounts the rebellions of the conquered and examines why they broke out, why most failed, and how they became exceedingly rare. He reveals that hostility was just one reaction to the arrival of Rome and that from the outset, conquered peoples collaborated, formed alliances, and joined invaders, causing resistance movements to fade away.
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2 stars if youve read goldsworthy; 2.5 or 3 if not
- By fm2 on 10-21-16
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Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest
- By: Matthew Restall
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Using a wide array of sources, historian Matthew Restall highlights seven key myths, uncovering the source of the inaccuracies and exploding the fallacies and misconceptions behind each myth. This vividly written and authoritative book shows, for instance, that native Americans did not take the conquistadors for gods and that small numbers of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. We discover that Columbus was correctly seen in his lifetime - and for decades after - as a briefly fortunate but unexceptional participant in efforts.
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A good book marred by awful narration
- By Dr. Philip Fowler on 02-23-24
By: Matthew Restall
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Rome and the Mediterranean Vol. 1
- The Histories
- By: Polybius
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Polybius wrote his Histories "to find out by what means and by what political system the entire world was brought under the domination of Rome." Within the short space of about 50 years Rome went from being a provincial leader of an Italian confederacy to become the Mistress of the Mediterranean. Polybius was one of the first historians to attempt to present history as a sequence of causes and effects, based upon a careful examination of tradition and a keen scrutiny of the facts.
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You have to know what your are getting into
- By Dylan on 01-24-10
By: Polybius
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The Ancient Celts, Second Edition
- By: Barry Cunliffe
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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For 2,500 years, the Celts have continued to fascinate those who have come into contact with them, yet their origins have remained a mystery and even today are the subject of heated debate among historians and archaeologists. Barry Cunliffe's classic study of the ancient Celtic world was first published in 1997. Since then, huge advances have taken place in our knowledge: new finds, new ways of using DNA records to understand Celtic origins, new ideas about the proto-urban nature of early chieftains' strongholds. All these developments are part of this fully updated edition.
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Missing the foundation and migration from the steppe and the Tuatha Dé Dannan
- By cpdb on 03-15-20
By: Barry Cunliffe
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Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed British historian Anthony Everitt delivers a compelling account of the former orphan who became Roman emperor in A.D. 117 after the death of his guardian Trajan. Hadrian strengthened Rome by ending territorial expansion and fortifying existing borders. And - except for the uprising he triggered in Judea - his strength-based diplomacy brought peace to the realm after a century of warfare.
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A Biography "too tall for the height of the cella"
- By Darwin8u on 08-23-12
By: Anthony Everitt
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Mesopotamia: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Mesopotamian History and Civilizations, Including the Sumerians and Sumerian Mythology, Gilgamesh, Ur, Assyrians, Babylon, Hammurabi and the Persian Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard Savage, Desmond Manny, Duke Holm, and others
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Taken together, the civilizations of Sumer, Assyria, and Persia have helped form the modern makeup of Mesopotamia, western Asia, and the world. However, to really understand why things are the way they are, it’s important to break up this historical timeline and spend some time learning about each society. Only by doing this will you be able to fully appreciate the powerful impact these ancient peoples had on our modern world.
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“Divulian”?
- By SBrown on 03-20-19
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Assyrian History: A Captivating Guide to the Assyrians and Their Powerful Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: David Patton
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Of all the famous civilizations to emerge from Mesopotamia, a list that includes the Akkadians, the Sumerians, and the Babylonians, it’s the Assyrians who deserve the fame and glory. The empire they constructed over the course of some 1,200 years survived constant attacks, a few defeats, and the famed Dark Age, known as the Bronze Age collapse, to become one of the largest and most expansive empires the world has ever seen.
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Cringe wording, a narration that cannot pronounce
- By Shane on 09-23-19
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China
- A History
- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
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The Ten Lost Tribes
- The History and Mystery of the Lost Tribes of Israel
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Gordon Greenhill
- Length: 1 hr and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In the eighth century BCE, one of the most important provinces within the Assyrian Empire was Samaria. Also known as Israel, Samaria repeatedly rebelled against their Assyrian overlords, but in 722, the Assyrians overran Samaria once and for all, killing countless numbers and sending most of the rest of its inhabitants into forced exile.
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Eh.
- By Jerry on 10-16-15
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
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A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
What listeners say about Gladiators
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michael Malone
- 01-05-21
Horrific
The book and information were great, the horrific part was well get the book you'll see...
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tanya
- 04-10-21
I wish narrators would do a little research on pronunciation before recording.
I cringe every time he pronounces Res Gestae as “Reese Jestae” it should be said like “Rez -Guest -Eye”. It is so distracting....
There are more too but that one is the most annoying and a quick google search would have shown him the right way to say it.
As far as the content it is exactly what it is supposed to be. If the subject interests you it’s perfectly fine. If your looking for an exciting novel this isn’t for you.
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3 people found this helpful
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- S. Taylor
- 01-13-22
More like a Text book
Though interesting to an extent, I was hard pressed to finish the book. The amount of information is considerable, it’s presentation is lackluster.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-18-22
Good overview of Roman society
While the book did give a good overview of Roman gladiatorial games, there was a lack of depth. I would have liked to known more about the gladiator themselves than just a history of the games.
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- Charles
- 04-19-23
Not bad
This is an okay book. But I often wish that narrators would take a page from Grover Gardner and simply read the book. When I hear that a book is being “performed” I grow concerned. Just read the thing. That’s all I ask.
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- Jim
- 06-13-17
A lot drier than the description lets on
This book is historical in nature obviously and history can be dry. Good writing can help to curb thus tendency and the author does do a good job of doing so but it still comes through a little overly scholastic. That being said if you happen to be a fan of history then you know there are times to bite the bullet and eat your veggies. Expanding the metaphor this book is like well cooked veggies- they taste decent but they are still veggies. There are glimpses of excitement within the work but (perhaps given the exciting nature of the subject) it always seems to fall flat. A lot of good material and would make a great referencing platform.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Mark Fackler
- 01-29-23
Much more about animals than gladiators
Informative and detailed, but not what I expected. I think the title is deceptive and that there was not a tremendous amount of discussion about gladiators, rather there was far more discussion of animal events, their procurement, and why they were more prevalent. The gladiators were basically a side note and I suspect the title was used to spur more interest.
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- cachorro-urubu
- 02-22-23
excellent
exactly what I was looking for. very informative. good amount of historical data. the narration is great and is a plus that it is not British
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- Zechariah Johnson
- 06-01-22
As we shall see
The work itself is informative, but a large amount of filler is present in the form of "As we shall see," "As we have seen," or variations thereof. The narrator does a decent job of holding attention, taking the necessary breaks where the text requires, though these become a bit tedious at times and could have been sped up some by speaking in a more conversational manner.
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- Thomas
- 05-12-22
Great narration, but nothing new
The reason for my 3/5 isn't because the narration was bad; on the contrary, it was quite good. The problem I had was that this taught me absolutely nothing that I didn't already know, and doesn't seem like the most basic of common knowledge regarding the subject.
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