Preface Over the course of 668 years, gladiatorial combat was a significant part of the lifestyle of some Romans in ancient Rome; there were many notable gladiators who had a huge impact, such as Spartacus, who led the slave revolt in 73 BC. The specific nature and influence of gladiatorial fights in ancient Rome, including those in the Colosseum, as well as their impact on the ancient world. The purpose of this article is to provide details on some aspects of gladiatorial combat. After gaining an understanding of the games and how they began, where they occurred, and the response to them, we will go in more depth to describe how these events and people influenced the ancient world. The fighting began in 264 BC to commemorate the death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and this was the beginning of what would become a major form of Roman entertainment. What began as a kind of religious ceremony slowly evolved into a way to entertain citizens and help candidates for political positions gain favor by holding games, as people enjoyed themselves. The construction of the Colosseum went a long way towards providing gladiators with a place to hold their fights and allowing many more spectators to see them. Spartacus demonstrated that not everyone in ancient Rome agreed with the concept of gladiatorial combat and provided an opposing point of view to that of the majority of Roman citizens. These specific topics, the Colosseum, Spartacus and the first fight, will be considered and evaluated in the following article. Gladiators: The Fighters that Intrigued the Roman Empire by Caroline Creighton World Civilizations IMrs. Marshall28 April 2014Annotated bibliographyThe Colosseum......middle of paper......ars for the games to be concluded. Spartacus was a great example of influence on the gladiatorial games as, along with the Colosseum, it changed the way Romans viewed them in general. All these different factors led to the final combat of the gladiators and put an end to the brutal battles that took place. The first fight provided a start that turned into something very different from what the games originally intended it to mean. The construction of the Colosseum allowed the fighting to reach a much wider audience and Spartacus put the idea of ​​rebelling against the games in people's minds. The specificity and influence of gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome changed the course of history and therefore the future of humanity as a whole, offering people a vision of violent combat that was then seen as simple entertainment.