Gladiators were brutal fighters who risked their lives in one of the deadliest sports of all time. They performed to huge crowds in stadiums across the Roman Empire. Find out how these savage spectacles first began, who took part in them and how men were trained to become fighting machines.

Since joining Usborne, Minna has written books on everything from pirates and gladiators to jungles and oceans. She studied Maths and Philosophy at university and previously worked as a journalist and illustrator in London, Bogota and New York. In her spare time, she loves writing stories, drawing and playing the guitar.