Gladiator the roman fighters unofficial manual

Philip Matyszak does a good job of placing the gladiator firmly within the social, economic, and political context of AD Rome, under the rule of the emperor Commodus. He traces the history of gladiator combat, takes us on a tour of arenas within and outside Rome, discusses the diet and lifestyle of the gladiator, and examines the roles of gladiators outsid "Gladiator: The Roman Fighter's [Unofficial] Manual" is a highly enjoyable and thorough account of life in the Roman gladiatorial system.

He traces the history of gladiator combat, takes us on a tour of arenas within and outside Rome, discusses the diet and lifestyle of the gladiator, and examines the roles of gladiators outside of the arena. There is even a small section on women gladiators. For me, the most interesting sections were on the different gladiator specialties and the step by step walk through of a gladiatorial bout.

This is where Matyszak really shines, not only in the amount of detail he includes, but also in his tone which is simultaneously humorous and cognizant of the severity of the gladiator's life and death.

Understanding the different types of fighters, their weapons, and their strategies has altered my view of gladiatorial combat. This book allows the reader to see the complexity involved in every aspect of the gladiator's life. It is refreshing to read a history book that is written in a conversational tone but is not a simplified version of events. Nov 27, Mary rated it it was amazing Shelves: conversation-makers. This is either the funniest scholarly book or the most scholarly funny book I've read in a long time.

I spend most of the at-sea days reading it and most of my time in Rome talking about it. I've been kind of a little obsessed. It's such a weird idea to let people kill each other for your entertainment.

So many people died. And paradoxically, you were both honored and infamata--like a racehorse. With pithy comments on ancient frescoes, and a whole chapter in which Matyszak delves into the best w This is either the funniest scholarly book or the most scholarly funny book I've read in a long time. With pithy comments on ancient frescoes, and a whole chapter in which Matyszak delves into the best way to kill your enemy he thanks an anonymous doctor in the acknowledgements , this is an extremely informative good time.

Totally prepped me for gladiator school in Rome. XI legion 4ever! Leitura bem abrangente, detalhada e superinteressante. Aug 22, Chris Maddix rated it it was amazing. Gladiator, The Roman Fighter's Unofficial Manual, is an extremely well-written, tongue-firmly-in-cheek guide to becoming and surviving as a gladiator in ancient Rome. Being a gladiator, pronounces witty author Philip Matyszak, is "a job like no other" in that you are "no longer alone in a harsh, uncaring world" because there are people willing to invest large sums of money betting on your fate.

How does one become a gladiator? There are several tried and true methods. You can be handed the posit Gladiator, The Roman Fighter's Unofficial Manual, is an extremely well-written, tongue-firmly-in-cheek guide to becoming and surviving as a gladiator in ancient Rome.

You can be handed the position having tried unsuccessfully to be a violent criminal, lose a war against Rome, acted as a recalcitrant slave, or by owing more than you can repay. You can also rise up from lower social standing by volunteering or by being a woman or a dwarf with fighting skills. There are several types of schools in which to get training, and all have their respective positives and negatives. You also don't have to be thrust into the Rome Colosseum immediately - you can instead try your luck in Ephesus, in western Anatolia modern Turkey , Carthage, in northern Africa, or Londinium, modern day London.

Like modern actors, gladiators choose screen names as well - a mundane Cletus can be transformed into a fighting Cygnus or Vercingetorix.

Are you getting the picture? Rather than merely presenting history, Mr. Matyszak has injected gallows wit and humor; it's a terrific book. Nov 04, Alicja Falkowska rated it liked it. This book was the second of the type that I have read which could have been the reason why I disliked it more then the first book. It does show the history and stories of various gladiators who were essentially like any football player is today and shows how their lives were different to the ones that are usually listed in movies and TV shows.

However, I do feel like I should point out that this book has many various sources were as usually books of this kind follow one or two sources rather th This book was the second of the type that I have read which could have been the reason why I disliked it more then the first book.

However, I do feel like I should point out that this book has many various sources were as usually books of this kind follow one or two sources rather than multiple various ones. It is definitely a book that I would recommend to someone who doesn't mind their reading being broken up by quotes or pictures. But I should warn that this book may not be for younger readers as it does have some graphic descriptions of sex, drugs, murder etc. Do if there is such a thing as a typical arena beast-hunt, it is of exotic and savage creatures contending against humans - often volunteers armed and trained for the occasion - but it is a hunt nevertheless.

And as with any hunt, the animals killed are promptly recycled into meat. Jun 30, Dimitrios Mistriotis rated it really liked it. Matyszak rocks. He puts you in the time and place so well you do not want to get out.

Philip Matyszak's wit and humorous prose makes reading about gladiators a gripping experience. You won't be able to put the book down. Highly recommended! Jul 17, Frank Harris rated it it was amazing Shelves: educational. The silly cover and title had me a little concerned, but this is an extremely and informative little book! Aug 05, George Foord rated it it was amazing. Captivating throughout and with great information.

Couldn't put it down. Oli tore. Feb 26, Luvs2read rated it it was amazing Shelves: ancient-world , history , history-ancient-world , nonfiction. Very informative and well researched presented in a highly readable format. Not as good as Legionary , mostly because there is only so much interesting things you can say about gladiators, unlike the legions.

Oct 28, Michael Smith rated it really liked it. I also learned new things from each of them. The problem is that, no matter how the masses swarmed to the games, the gladiator was at the very bottom of society. The lanista, who ran the school, was barely half a step above that. Mar 13, Mark Stone rated it it was amazing.

Back onto the proper path… One of my most enjoyable areas of research includes the Roman Empire, gladiators specifically those of you who know what books of mine are forthcoming will understand why. No, scratch that. The information it gives goes beyond good and that information is related in a wholly entertaining fashion. There were times reading this when I could literally see myself on the sand because the book puts the reader in the point-of-view, taking the reader from induction into a ludus right on through to the games.

Aug 01, Yune rated it really liked it Shelves: ancient-history , humorous , history , military-history. Woah, there's a whole series of these? Heads off to hunt them down. I pulled this off the bookstore shelf and just couldn't resist bringing it home with me. The first chapter, "Becoming a Gladiator," includes ways such as "Lose a war against Rome" and "Be a surly and recalcitrant slave. While I learned about the pros and cons of fighting in various amphitheatres, I also picked up various facts about Roman history, from social strata to political upheavals.

Definitely pick this one up if you have any interest in the subject matter and a sense of humor. Aug 23, Roberto rated it really liked it. I think this is a very interesting study about gladiators.

In fact, people today are getting less and less interested in ancient history, so this is just the kind of books that is needed in order to make people know at least a little about this topic. As good as this one may be, I have to say that I prefer "Legionary".

Anyway, I like Maty's books so much that I am writing my postgraduate dissertation about his books! He is a great author! I have also tried to contact him, but the link on his page I think this is a very interesting study about gladiators.

I have also tried to contact him, but the link on his page does not work, for some reason. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic, even if they have read other books about it.

May 28, Michele rated it really liked it Shelves: history-classical-antiquity. If you're looking on information on how to be a gladiator in CE , the training,what you'll face and how to possibly survive and deal with your opponents, this book is a good way to find out. Written in a lively, humorous but very informative style, this book presents the training and life of a gladiator without taking away from the brutality and pain and often shame that a gladiator faced fighting in the various arenas of the Roman Empire.

Aug 28, Nathan rated it really liked it Shelves: history , reviewed A fun and funny look at life as a gladiator in ancient Rome in the late second century. It's apparently superficial, but there's some real nuggets of real history in the book and a serviceable "for further reading".

Don't use this for a term paper, but pop history doesn't get a lot more fun than this. Great ceaser's ghost what an awesome book! Great read. Lots of fun and fact! I've since picked up three more boos by the author. The official Ligoneer handbook, Rome of 5 dinar a day and another that escapes my memory, and I'm to lazy to look for it now. The book is written in a chatty, irreverent style sub-chapter headings include "See Londinium and die" , packed full of quotes from many classical sources that serve to illustrate, inform and entertain.

At first glance, it seems a light touch book, each chapter broken down into easy to read sub-sections, many in-page illustrations and box-outs and the aforementioned quotes. But first glances are often misleading. It's a credit to Matyszak's skill as a writer that so much hard fact has been packed into this work. Every aspect of a gladiator's life is explored in meticulous detail. The history of the games and how they came to be, the type of person that would become a gladiator, the different arenas of the empire and even how likely a fighter was to survive in a given stadium - naturally based on hard data , the ludus and of course the different styles of gladiator who plied their trade on the sands.

Moreover, as this is a recent work, Matyszak reveals new facts including a particularly stunning plate of a 1st century bas-relief of gladiators wearing kit that I've certainly never seen before. It's an interesting point: much of what we consider "fact" can be overturned by new discoveries and this, I think, is one such instance. Given the depth of information on offer, it's easy to overlook the more subtle aspects of Matyszak's research as much of it is mentioned in throw-away almost comedic lines.

Matyszak informs us where and how to stab a person in order to kill or wound - a fact which he gleaned from an acknowledged but unnamed physician, the data about survival chances, the cost the editor of the games would have to pay for not granting the misso to gladiators of various ranks, all of this is not simply pulled out of the air. He writes in great detail on not only the types of gladiator but how they fought.

Little pieces of information such as resting a heavy shield in the lip of a greave to ease the weight, what techniques a retarius actually used against a murmillo , the little known fact that gladiatorial matches involved very little duelling with the sword but were nearly all about shield work - much or all of this comes from the meticulous notes provided by Svenja. Of course, you don't realise what you're learning as you're reading it - as I have said, the author's style is so communicative that you're absorbing facts like a sponge absorbs water.

And, if you've missed anything important, each chapter ends with a Codex Gladiorum - a box-out that highlights the key points contained in the previous pages. A particularly endearing part of the book is that as much care is taken over the chapters dealing with life after the arena as those that deal with life in it. Clearly, death is one way out, but Matyszak explores all the different avenues for retirement with great aplomb.