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Gladiator

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Gladiator
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Gladiators
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Gladiators, Christian Views Concerning
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Gladiator
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Gladiator

One who fought in the arena at Rome with men or beasts for the amusement of the people, originally in connection with funeral games, under the belief, it is said, that the spirits of the dead were appeased at the sight of blood; exhibitions of the kind were common under the emperors, and held on high occasions; if the gladiator was wounded in the contest, the spectators decided whether he was to live or die by, in the former case, turning their thumbs downwards, and in the latter turning them upwards.