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Coins tell us so much about history. The Titus Didius coin struck sometime around 113-112 B.C. depicts two individuals who appear to be in combat. There are several interpretations of the scene on this coin. Some think it represents men fighting a rebellion, while others believe they are Gladiators in combat!

There is no argument as to whether Gladiator combat existed in ancient Rome, as there is evidence in murals, paintings, artifacts and detailed written documentation describing the gladiator battles and how they took place.



112-113 B.C. Titus Didius coin (Image By Flickr.com) 112-113 B.C. Titus Didius coin (Image By Flickr.com)

A.D. 79-81 Flavian Amphitheater Coin (Image Courtesy of Heritage Auctions) A.D. 79-81 Flavian Amphitheater Coin (Image Courtesy of Heritage Auctions)

We also cannot ignore the Flavian Amphitheater, which was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the world. The coliseum was named after three emperors who played a major role in its construction. It was opened in 80 A.D. and had 100-day festivals where it attracted spectators from even the most remote places. One of the coin images in this article shows a Flavian Amphitheater coin struck around A.D. 79-81, and due to its rarity, it sold for $146,875 at auction last year.

Some of the attractions in the coliseum included men who fought animals and/or other men. Many of the gladiators were slaves or prisoners, however, as gladiatorial bouts popularized, ordinary civilians began to volunteer to fight in an attempt to gain fame and prominence. Some of the best gladiators were trained and paid large salaries. Not all fights ended in death, in fact, it is believed that most of the fights ended with someone giving up or referees stopping the bouts if one of the gladiators was badly injured. Animals would also fight against other exotic animals such as giraffes, elephants, leopards, lions, bears, hyenas, tigers and many others, all to entertain the audience in the coliseum, which would seat well over 50,000 spectators.

Some scholars believe Gladiator fights originated sometime around the 3rd Century B.C.E. during funeral ceremonies. And as time progressed, the Gladiator fights shifted more as an entertainment medium rather than being held as part of funeral ceremonies.

Sometimes coins can take us back into the past and remind us of what the world was like in someone else’s eyes. When I look at the Titus Didius coin from 113-112 B.C. or the Flavian Amphitheater coin from 79-81 A.D., it reminds me of the type of entertainment that people enjoyed centuries ago. At the same time, it makes me ponder if we had to choose a design on a coin to reflect today’s entertainment, what type of coin would we use to express it? If it was my choice, I would probably choose a coin with an iPhone depicted on it.