[Roma Immortalis] Chimaerae Gladiatores

The very first chimaera gladiators were members of the Atlantean warrior caste who had been enslaved following the conquest of their homeland. However, as Atlantean medicine became more commonplace, genoitors were hired to produce new and exciting chimaeras for the arena. While gladiators were already a significant investment due to the time and money required to train them, chimaera gladiators became even more so. This coupled with a significant improvement in medical care, led to a dramatic decrease of gladiator mortality rates.

As gladiatrices (female gladiators) were forbidden during the reign of Caesar Augustus, only male chimaeras were created for the arena at the time. If they died, their owner would typically have them cloned in order to save money. If they managed to win their freedom, they would very rarely pass on their genes, either because they were uninterested in having genetic children, or because they simply couldn’t afford the services of a genoitor.

Lucius Caesar lifted the ban on gladiatrices in order to normalize and promote the use of female warriors. This helped reduce costs for the gladiator owners, as female chimaeras could be given the ability to reproduce, which allowed them to produce copies practically for free; in fact, it became customary to breed a chimaera gladiatrix once before sending them to their first fight. Some of their descendants would work as bodyguards, others would join the Legions, but some of those who had been given the capability of breathing underwater would end up becoming the dreaded sea nomads.

Despite being slaves, chimaera gladiators enjoyed a relatively high quality of life due to their masters viewing them as significant investments that were costly to replace. They fought in the arena one to three times a year, with most of their time being spent training, which took a large part of their day-to-day life. Even so, they had ample spare time, which they were allowed to spend outside the training grounds.

Some chimaera gladiators married and raised families during their time of service, but many more were content with seducing people from all social stations. A common scandalous tale that delighted the public was the one of the opulent noblewoman running away with a famous gladiator, or that of the opulent young nobleman buying a famous gladiatrix’s freedom and marrying her.

As long as they did not attract the undue attention of the lanista or the Imperial authorities—such as committing a crime—chimaera gladiators could engage in all sorts of activities. These could range from reciting arena tales in exchange for drinks or money to hiring out as a fencing teacher, bodyguard, or enforcer. Gladiators were sometimes hired to teach legionaries about guerrilla fighting and other dirty tricks.

Because of the significant investment the chimaera gladiators represented to their masters, the fights in the arena were more performance than actual combat, with the chimaeras being trained to strike one another with non-fatal blows. Similarly, they acted out heavily dramatized feuds and rivalries to stir up and entertain the crowd, with the winners generally being predetermined to increase entertainment value.

Upon completing their term, a gladiator could rejoin or retire. Release from service was usually part of the arena events. Most chimaera gladiators stayed in service for decades before they either retired or died in the arena. Upon retirement, gladiators often had enough money to open a small business—with many opting to open a bar—although mismanagement sometimes resulted in former arena heroes living out their last days in squalor. Others opened their own gladiator schools to train the next generation of fighters. Whatever their choices, as freedmen most gladiators were forever barred from Roman citizenships. However, their children could become Roman citizens.