They were taken as prisoners from war or were strong slaves and forced to fight to their bloody death or until they won so much that they could buy or win there freedom.
Men became gladiators mainly because they were forced to. Some were prisoners of war who were considered unfit for any other service, some were slaves sold to the gladiatorial schools, and some were...
In ancient Rome, gladiators fought, often to the death, to entertain crowds of spectators. Gladiators were trained in ludi ([sg. ludus]) to fight well in circuses (or the Colosseum) where the ground...