Nevertheless, the life of a gladiator was usually brutal and short. Most only lived to their mid-20s, and historians have estimated that somewhere between one in five or one in 10 bouts left one of its participants dead.

How many gladiators died each year?

Graffiti found on walls in Pompeii suggested that women loved gladiators. Hawkins estimates there could have been 5,000 gladiators killed each year during the Roman Empire, which lasted until the end of the Fifth Century.

Did gladiators ever survive?

Few gladiators survived more than 10 contests, though one survived an extraordinary 150 bouts; and another died at 90 years of age, presumably long after retirement. A natural death following retirement is also likely for three individuals who died at 38, 45, and 48 years respectively.