The Gladiator

Firstly, the slaves were heterogeneous in terms of origins and language, a factor that their masters played on, ensuring that they were separated from their compatriots as far as possible. Secondly, those who were born into slavery had no memory of being deprived of liberty, and no homeland to which they could return. Thirdly, the institution itself was hierarchical and those slaves who did comparatively well for themselves sought to distance themselves from other slaves, rather than acting as any kind of leadership cadre for the disaffected.

As a consequence, most uprisings were isolated and amounted to little more than brigandage. If, however, an event occurred that affected the general population, then the conditions were ripe for a more ambitious form of rebellion. I reasoned that the earthquake in Crete would provide exactly the right circumstances in which such an uprising could occur. With a leader like Ajax, such a rebellion would pose a great threat to the empire by the example it gave to other slaves. The memory of the great gladiator general Spartacus would be rekindled in the hearts and minds of the slaves of Rome.

Gladiatorial combat was one of the traditions the Romans inherited from the Etruscans. Originally, gladiators fought as part of a blood sacrifice ritual at funerals, but in the frenzied political atmosphere of the last years of the republic, ambitious politicians began to put on displays of gladiatorial combat to win popular support. It was the first emperor, Augustus, who commenced the practice of holding gladiator fights for no other reason than as mass entertainment for the Roman mob. Subsequent emperors continued in the same vein, some offering spectacles in which thousands of fighters were killed at a time. Gladiators were recruited from the ranks of captured warriors, condemned criminals and even a handful of volunteers who aspired to win fame and fortune in the arena.

Training was conducted in special gladiator schools where recruits underwent a harsh regime designed to build strength and agility before they were trained in one of the specialised roles — in the case of Ajax, as a heavily armed fighter. While some gladiators won a huge following amongst the fans of the arena, much like modern boxers or film stars, and might eventually win their freedom, most were fated to a crippling injury or death. Under such circumstances it is a gratifying irony that men like Spartacus were able to use their training against their former masters with such success.

Finally, some readers may wonder why no reference is made to the island now called Spinalonga. That's because the earliest historical mention of the island notes that it once formed the end of the peninsula of Kolokitha, and I have followed that description.

Simon Scarrow