Around the middle of the III in . to R. X. The Romans borrowed from their neighbors the custom to arrange during the burial of nobles deadly battles of armed prisoners of war. However, the Romans were attracted not so much by the religious meaning of this ritual as by the very game with death, which gives a strong feeling. So from the funeral rite arose something quite different - Roman gladiatorism - a phenomenon that has no analogue in the history of mankind. Behind this concept is a giant entertainment machine, which over time began to serve hundreds of thousands of people and which required huge costs. Its task was to organize throughout the Roman Empire a kind of circus performances with a diverse program, the main number of which was bloody fights. They were attended by specially trained prisoners of war, slaves and criminals, and later volunteers who fought not for life, but for death, until the defeated did not emit a spirit right in front of thousands of spectators. The victims of gladiatorial games over the centuries were many men and women. In the squares, theaters, stadiums and arenas specially built for this purpose amphitheaters hundreds of them could lose their lives on the same day. Along with people, countless animals were killed, which were captured and supplied by an army of hunters until many species of wild animals were almost or completely exterminated in the Mediterranean countries. This book in the series "What Is" tells about who the gladiators are, about their life and destiny, about the extraordinary flourishing of gladiatorship in the era of the Caesars, and, finally, about the struggle of the Christian Church against gladiator games and their prohibition at the beginning of the V century after the P. X. "What Is What" is a series of thematic encyclopedias published from 1994 to 2001 by the publishing house "Word" and aimed at school-age children. Initially, it was translated materials of a similar German series "Was ist was", but later, as part of the series, the publishing house began to produce works by domestic authors. The abundance of illustrations, fascination, diversity and accessibility of the presentation of the material predetermined the great popularity of the series. "What is What" easy reading - serious knowledge!Other books in the series "What is What":Byzantine Wolves of Heaven. Flags Calendar. Caves of the Cat. Time. Dolls. Butterflies Sculpture. Our Body . Ancient Greeks Ancient myths Myths of Slavs Sun Apes Ancient China . Painting Orbital Stations . Underwater exploration of the Earth Planet Ancient Greece. Trees. Forest. Poisonous plants . Money from Russia . Multimedia and virtual worlds Natural Disasters Mountains Pyramids Museums Travelers . Crusaders Weather. Bees, Bumblebees, Wasps Moors Elephants Fish Birds Ships Gladiators Samurai. Pirates. Water. Bridges . Geographic Maps of the Witch Star. Internet Seven Wonders of the World Predators Nuclear Power Arctic and Antarctic. Indians Horses Dinosaurs Ancient Russia . Moscow Rus Revival . Mysterious Treasure Phenomena . Tropical Forest