The latest historic research now proposes that Gladiators actually fought to rules of engagement, similar in respects to today's form of Queensbury rules as introduced into boxing in 1867.  Recently, exhumed remains from the bodies of  67 Gladiators from a cemetery at Ephesus in Turkey which has been identified as a Gladiators tomb by all of the artistic stonework surrounding it were examined.

The remains were subjected to modern forensic CT X-ray scan and microscopic analysis by Austrian Dr Karl Grossschmidt of the Medical University of Vienna and Dr Fabian Kanz from the Austrian Archeology Institute  and the findings were quite unexpected and refute the all out  no holds barred fights as depicted in Hollywood films.

This latest research proposes that Gladiators fought bouts that would be similar to today's martial arts competitions and fencing bouts. The Gladiators expertise at swordsmanship  and combat was displayed in dashing swashbuckling  bouts but not necessarily to the death. What has been discovered is that vanquished opponents were most likely taken  out of the Arena whilst still alive and death was swiftly delivered to these severely wounded Gladiators by a hammer blow to the head.

This still sounds  cruel and barbaric but in days where medical knowledge and anesthetics were relatively unknown it was probably seen as humane and merciful. 

It has been discovered by the examination of the remains that injuries to the front of the skull in particular were created by the same weapon. There was a total lack of multiple fractures, cuts and mutilation  in any of the bones examined, this is a strong indication that a strict code of fighting etiquette was observed in the Arena.

As this page illustrates, most Gladiators wore protection against injury ie armour, helmets and shields and the fact that most if not all Gladiators wore helmets during combat in the Arena is the main clue that suggests that wounded Gladiators were indeed dispatched later behind the scenes, as the skulls of those bore identical square type holes in  the side of the head, these made by square hammer type weapon or instrument by an executioner.

The very knowledgeable Dr Kathleen Coleman from Harvard University USA was the historic consultant for the smash box office hit " Gladiator" and when she was furnished with these new findings and she replied " The fact that none of the Gladiator skulls was subjected a repeated battering ( as would be expected in furious battle and has been found on skulls from normal battlefields ) it does seam to confirm that discipline was exercised in Gladiatorial combat and its aftermath.

Gladiators were introduced into Rome in 264 BC and originated from the rites of sacrifice involving the spirits of the dead and the need for offerings of blood. But this edifice soon lost its religious significance, from being a compliment to the dead to being a compliment to the living. The spectacle of gladiators fighting to the death in the arena was hugely popular in Roman times and in fact it lasted the entirety of the Empire of Rome. The Gladiatorial games were watched and enjoyed by enthralled audiences for almost 600 years !! and in that time it is thought, tens of thousands of men died and purely for purpose of entertainment.

Most gladiators were either deserters from the Roman army, slaves who were bought for the purpose or criminals who were given the alternative to fight in the arena or be put to death, A fair choice !!

It must also be said here that almost half if not more of the gladiators that fought did so of their own free will, they were men who were ex-soldiers, freed slaves, outcasts, Roman citizens and former gladiators who had won their freedom and chose to return to the games.

People who volunteered to become a gladiator did so for a fee for their services and the better the gladiator the more his fee but they had to swear an absolute oath of submission to the Caesar and people of Rome under pain of death. Subsequently they had to sign a contract to this affect. All comers were accepted and were never turned down this included women who were called Amazones, dwarfs and older children.

The name "Colosseum" was derived from a colossal statue of Caesar Nero which stood 120 ft high. The name 'Colosseum' however didn't arrive until much later as the name of the stadium was called Amphitheatrum  Caesareum.

Captured enemy soldiers who fought in the arena did so with their original weapons and were encouraged to fight in their own particular style of combat to please the crowds. It was from this introduction that many of the exotic styles and appearances came from. 

The Samnites were the class that became the professional gladiators of Rome and set the standard apparel of the gladiator until the end of the games hundreds of years later. They wore a wide leather belt (balteus) and carried a large oblong shield (scutum), a sword (gladius), an elaborate helmet  (galea), a greave (ocrea) on the left leg  and a protective sleeve of steel plates or chain mail (manica) on the right arm.

Andabatae.  Wore helmets which did not have any eye holes in them.

Catervarii.  Fought whilst being  all chained together in groups .

Dimacheri.  This gladiator fought with two swords.

Equites.  Fighting whilst on horse back was this gladiators forte.

Essedarii. Copying the British and Gallic methods this gladiator fought in a chariot.

Hoplomachi.  These were a more heavier armed version of  the Samnites.

Laqueatores.  Specialised  in the use of the lasso.

Meridiani.  Always fought in the middle of the day, after the wild beast fights. They were lightly armed.

Myrmillo.  wore a large helmet (Galae) with a fish on its crest, a manica of mail, leather or metal scales on his left arm, ocrea on at least one leg, a scutum and a straight Greek-styled sword.

Ordinarii.  This was a standard no thrills gladiator who fought with a shield and sword.

Provocator  Was armed like the Samnite with a parma and a hasta, his opponent was often the Myrmillo.

Retiarius  wore a subligaculum and a metal galerus on the left arm. He carried a net, a dagger and a trident. 

Samnite.  Used scutum and ocrea on his left leg, a galea with a large crest and plume, and a gladius.

Secutor.  Carried a large oval or rectangular shield, an ocrea on his left leg, a round or high-visored helmet, manicae at the elbow and wrists, and a sword or dagger.

Thracian.  Wore metal plate on both legs, a small square shield, a helmet, and a Thracian sword.

An engraved Gladius with inlaid gold to the helm and handle, this sword may have been given to a champion Gladiator who won several combats in the arena.

The gladiators fought to rules as laid down in the handbook of conduct and stratagem.

The gladiators had to be evenly but not identically matched in the arena,  there was no valour or honour in beating a weaker un-matched opponent. One could be armed with two swords and no armour whilst the other was perhaps armed with a knife and was weighed down by a tremendous amount of armour.  Each type of gladiator had his own particular weapons, strategies, and skills, and only by comparison could they be demonstrated. Gladiators who were similarly armed, therefore, rarely competed against one another. Most contests, in fact, seem to have been between the Thraex or retiarius and their more heavily armed adversaries, between, that is, what the public favored as parmularii or scutarii (small-shield and big-shield men). 

The Bestarii were a specialized gladiator that fought wild animals but the popularity of these super cruel spectacles were abolished in AD323 after 100,000 or more animals died in the arena's of the Roman Empire. In fact several species of animals nearly became extinct. For example there were no more hippopotami in their native land most of the elephants and lions from Africa had disappeared. 10,000 animals died in the Colossuem alone.

It may be a surprise to many to learn that the majority of gladiators fought by their own choice to do so and not generally as depicted by Hollywood that they were ALL forced to fight.

We must remember that it was by and large a profession. Similar in a way to today's boxers fighting in a roped ring, not to the death admittedly but the theme is still the same.

Wealthy citizens of Rome owned a gladiator pretty much the same as wealthy people today own a race horse.

The gladiator held much admiration with the people of Rome. Caesar's celebrated their victories, enhanced their own reputations, and showed off their power with enactments in the arena of fighting gladiators to buffer up their prestige and ego's.