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The earliest depictions of gladiatorial combat in Italy are the so-called Campanian gladiator frescoes, dated to the fourth century BC. Although no text accompanies the frescoes, it is believed that they show part of a funeral game probably fought by volunteers to the first bloodshed. Many other early gladiators were probably prisoners of war forced to fight in funeral games, which then evolved into skilled, professional fighters. The name “gladiator” is derived from the name of the sword many of the early gladiators used in the names, the <i>gladius</i>, indicating the martial background of the activity. <ref> Kyle, p. 271</ref>

The first gladiatorial games recorded in Rome took place in 264 BC when the sons of Decimus Junius Brutus organized an event for their recently deceased father. <ref> Kyle, p. 273</ref> After those games, there are no more records of gladiatorial events in Rome until 216 BC, probably because the Romans were too preoccupied with the increasingly tenuous geopolitical situation with Carthage, which eventually led to the Second Punic War (218-202 BC). Interestingly, the historian Livy wrote that the Carthaginian general Hannibal conducted his own blood sports-type when he invaded Rome in 218 BC. He wrote:

“He formed his troops into a circle and had some prisoners, whom he had captured in the mountains, brought into the middle of it in chains. Gallic weapons were laid on the ground in front of them, and an interpreter was told to ask if any of them would be willing to fight in single combat if he were released from his chains and offered a horse, together with the weapons, as the prize of victory.” <ref> Livy. <i> The War with Hannibal: Books XXI-XXX of The History of Rome from its Foundation.</i> Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. (London: Penguin, 1972), XXI, 42 </ref>

During the Civil Wars of the second half of the last century BC and in the early years of the Roman Empire, gladiator games and beast hunts went from minor events to big business. Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), ever the astute and pragmatic politician, saw the potential for using the games for political advantage. In his efforts to combine Roman blood sports and politics, Caesar ended the tradition of only holding gladiatorial games for funerals and introduced <i>naumachias</i>, staged sea battles, into amphitheaters. Caesar also became known for sparing particularly skilled and popular gladiators. <ref>Kyle, p. 287</ref> The first century AD Roman biographer Suetonius noted this abrupt transition.

Julius Caesar and Augustus truly set a precedent for how the later emperors would use blood sports – they would continue to grow in size and scope, truly becoming the “bread and circuses” of which they are known today.

[[File: Colosseum.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|The Colosseum of Rome]]

As Rome’s political, social, and economic problems continued to increase, succeeding emperors increased the games' number and frequency. For example, under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (ruled AD 161-180), often thought of as one of the most enlightened emperors, state-funded games comprised 135 days of the 230-day festival schedule. <ref> Kyle, p. 301</ref> The games became so big that even some emperors, Caligula and Commodus, for example, personally took part. Although those two are among the least popular, corrupt, and ineffective of Rome’s emperors, their involvement demonstrates the increasing cultural importance of blood sports. And as the games became more popular, they also became more complex in some ways.

The size of the Colosseum allowed for a seemingly endless line of blood sports to take place. Thousands of gladiators fought on its soil, and even more, animals were killed for the amusement of cheering fans. In the year 107 alone, during the reign of Emperor Trajan (ruled AD 98-117), it is estimated that as many as 11,000 animals were killed in hunts and various other games. <ref> Scarre, p. 82</ref> Truly, by the second century AD, Roman blood sports had evolved into a major industry that was an important part of the culture.

Bloodsports are perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Roman culture to many modern people. The idea of men fighting to the death for the entertainment of others may be difficult to understand. Still, an examination of the primary sources reveals that it was a logical evolution. From small, modest events, gladiatorial games and beast hunts were an occasional past time during the Roman Republic. Still, they became a major industry when the early emperors realized that they could keep the people content. Truly, the idea of “bread and circuses” did not happen overnight in Rome but was part of a long and sometimes well-thought-out process.