Gladiators

An image of Roman ruins, including tall structures with 6 columns in the background. There is a large curved wall in the foreground

Think you know everything about ancient Rome? These 25 facts will prove otherwise.

A white marble sculpture of a man holding his arms across his chest, holding his shoulders

Rome's worst nightmare: the story of Spartacus.

Gladiators do battle in a c320 AD mosaic, housed in the Borghese Gallery in Rome

Blood, guts and spectacle: 6 shocking events from the history of ancient Roman gladiators.

Gladiators and the colosseum

QuizWhat gladiator would you be?

A fight between two Gladiators, in mosaic

What were the lives of gladiators like in ancient Rome?.

Mosaic showing gladiators, Roman Civilization, 4th century

Bread and circuses: what happened in the amphitheatres of the Roman empire?.

Spartacus is now associated with political upheaval, as in the 1919 Spartacist uprising.

Who were the gladiators of ancient Rome? Plus Spartacus, Crixus and 8 more fighters you should know

The reconcilliation between Thomas Becket and Henry II. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

From the handshake to the high-five: a brief history of gestures.

Roman mosaic of a dog, bearing the legend 'Cave Canem' underneath, from Pompeii, from Naples National Museum's collection, 1st century. (Photo by CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images)

6 things you (probably) didn’t know about animals in ancient Rome

Illustration by Jonty Clark

Ye olde travel guide: Rome 192 AD.

Historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes. (Channel 5)

Eight Days That Made Rome: behind the scenes with historian Bettany Hughes

Q&AWho was John Parkes, a 'gladiator by profession'?.