The first fights were held in Rome in the third century B.C. A famous Roman citizen organized the first fights in a cattle market. As the events became more popular, many people came to see them. Later on the most famous fights were held in the Coliseum, which held thousands of spectators at that time. In 325 A.D. gladiatorial fights were banned by Emperor Constantine I but they continued into the 5th century.
Gladiators often fought wild animals, like bears, bulls or lions. These animals were brought to Rome from exotic places. The Romans treated the animals badly and let them starve, so they were very aggressive and hungry before the fight. They were kept in cages under the arena. In most cases gladiators defeated the animals but sometimes they were killed by the beasts. Fights against wild animals were similar to bullfights in modern Spain.
Gladiators had different types of weapons to fight. They often wore helmets and used a shield to protect themselves. They fought with swords, bows and arrows. When a gladiator hurt his opponent the spectators put their thumbs to show that they wanted him to live and their thumbs down to signalize they wanted the defeated gladiator killed.