Film

History's Mysteries: The True Story of Gladiators

Director

Douglas Brooks West

Year

2001

The History of the Gladiators

Though their ranks largely included slaves and prisoners of war, the gladiators of ancient Rome enthralled the masses, and the most successful fighters in the game were treated as superstars, as this thorough documentary reveals. Historians and scholars recount the amazing stories of these larger-than-life warriors -- who included women, senators and even an emperor -- in this episode of the History Channel series "History's Mysteries."