Scenarios about 'gladiators'

Gladiators were professional fighters who engaged in armed combat for public entertainment in ancient Rome from the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE. These combatants, often slaves, prisoners of war, or volunteers seeking fame and fortune, fought in elaborate spectacles that reflected Roman values of courage, martial skill, and the conquest of death. In alternate history scenarios, gladiatorial traditions might persist beyond their historical end, evolve differently in non-Roman societies, or develop with alternative combat technologies and cultural contexts.