("With a Turned Thumb"), an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, is a well known history painter's researched conception of a gladiatorial combat.]]'Gladiators (Latin: gladiat?r?s, "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword," from gladius, "sword") were professional fighters in ancient Rome who fought against each other, wild animals, and condemned criminals, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of spectators. These fights took place in arenas in many cities from the Roman Republic period through the Roman Empire. The word comes from gladius, the Latin word for a short sword used by legionaries and some gladiators. History of gladiatorial combats Origins The origin of the gladiatorial games is not known for certain. There are two theories: that the Romans adopted gladiatorial fights from the Etruscans, and that the games came from Campania and Lucania. The evidence for the theory of Etruscan orig