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S8 Ep1122: (4) Rituals of the Arena: Chubby Gladiators, Elephant Empathy, and the Roman Mythic Past Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Ge
(4) Rituals of the Arena: Chubby Gladiators, Elephant Empathy, and the Roman Mythic Past Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. This discussion strips away the Hollywood image of gladiators, focusing on their specialized diets and the cultural role they played in Roman society. Gaius reveals that gladiators were intentionally chubby to "bleed better" for the audience and suffered from bad breath due to a meatless diet, highlighting that many were actually volunteers seeking money, and that animal hunts were often more popular than death matches. He shares a poignant account of…
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