Gladiators

One of the most popular forms of entertainment was to watch gladiator fights.

At the start of the Roman Empire, the gladiators were slaves or criminals who were forced to fight. However, as time went on, free men started to volunteer to be a gladiator, because there was prize money to win and the gladiators who won lots of fights became celebrities.

Gladiators sometimes wore helmets which protected the whole head as well as body armour.