Something About Juan Luna's "SPOLIARIUM"
Contemplating upon Spoliarium Definitions The Latin word "Spoliarium" refers to a holding area in the Roman Colosseum where the corpses of fallen gladiators were brought. If a gladiator met his death in the arena, a ceremony would begin in which a man dressed like Charon would claim the body. The gladiator's weapons, like his "gladius" (meaning sword, hence the term "gladiator"), would be gathered or collected. A group of Roman slaves or workers would then come in to collect the corpse. They would drag the body from the sandy arena using chains and a large hook attached to the carcass. However, if it was a legendary gladiator, they would carry him on a stretcher, entering through a gate appropriately called the "Porta Libintinaria" (or the entrance of Libitina). Libitina is an ancient Roman goddess of funerals and burial. These people who took care of the corpses, or the undertakers, were collectively known as "libitinarii." Today, ...