Sweat, blood, sex, slaves, celebrities and legends - was a gladiator's real life anything like Russell Crowe's in Gladiator? Step into the roaring arena of ancient Rome, where every sunrise could be a gladiator's last... From brutal training and hard-won fame to the thunderous spectacle that captivated an empire, discover what life was really like for history's greatest prizefighters. Joining us is Harry Sidebottom, author of 'Those Who Are About To Die'. 0:00 Introduction 1:36 Where did gladiators come from? 3:16 Started as funerals 5:08 Hollywood myths about gladiators 7:02 The cost of renting or owning a gladiator 8:33 Rich emperors renting gladiators 10:45 Executing criminals in the arena 12:28 Acting out brutal Greek myths 14:19 Klarna! 17:14 Blunt weapons, scars, and archaeological evidence 18:42 Who became a gladiator and the terrifying oath 20:21 Celebrity status, prize money, and free volunteers 22:04 Gladiator school conditions and security realities 24:03 Elite combat training and the infamous gladiator diet 26:51 Exploring a blow-by-blow account of the fight 29:15 The truth about the thumbs up and thumbs down gestures 31:42 What was a day in the stadium stands like? 32:45 Why did the gladiatorial games die out? 35:00 Our modern obsession with the arena Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, edited by Natasha Hughes & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Start your summer trip right with a Klarna membership. Get travel perks and protection all in one membership, sign up to Klarna Premium or Max for 30% off your first three months today: https://l.klarna.com/22XC/dan-snow-podcast. You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #Gladiator