<P> A gladiator (Latin: gladiator, "swordsman", from gladius, "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals . Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their lives and their legal and social standing by appearing in the arena . Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death . </P> <P> Irrespective of their origin, gladiators offered spectators an example of Rome's martial ethics and, in fighting or dying well, they could inspire admiration and popular acclaim . They were celebrated in high and low art, and their value as entertainers was commemorated in precious and commonplace objects throughout the Roman world . </P>

Who were the gladiators and what did they do
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