Spoliarium – place where corpses of gladiators were kept
Spoliarium - Juan Luna
In front of the entrance to the arena of Roman amphitheatres, there was a special space – the so-called spolarium. In this place, the corpses of fallen gladiators were kept, which were deprived of weapons and armament. The weapons and equipment of the fallen were given to the slave owner or to the local armory (armamentarium).
What happened to the bodies then? Most likely, they were thrown to wild animals or buried en masse outside the city. More distinguished and more popular warriors could count on a prestigious burial.
