20. Gladiators learned to fight in front of huge crowds in their training schools – one in Rome could hold 3,000 bloodthirsty spectators
In the city of Rome, and possibly elsewhere across the Empire, the gladiator training schools each had their own arenas. In time, these would be modeled on the Colosseum itself. This didn’t just give the gladiators themselves the chance to train in realistic conditions. It also gave the public the chance to see gladiators in action even when there were no Games taking place. The Ludus Magus, the biggest such training facility in the city of Rome, for example, had an arena that could hold up to 3,000 spectators.