guy Posted April 11 Report Share Posted April 11 (edited) Harry Sidebottom has written an interesting book about the lives of gladiators (see the picture above). Although I haven't read the book, it touches on the gladiators' diet. There have been several previous posts on that subject (see below). One staple of the gladiators' diet was sagina, a thick, high-calorie porridge or mash that played a key role in their nutrition. Barley was a core ingredient in this meal, so common among gladiators that they were nicknamed hordearii, or "barley eaters." Sagina may also have included grains (oats, wheat, millet), vegetables and aromatics (cabbage, onions, garlic, fennel seeds), as well as fruits, nuts, dairy, oil, and honey. Notably, gladiators probably ate very little meat, which makes their high-calorie, grain-based diet even more impressive in supporting their strength and resilience. There was also an ash drink supplement made by mixing plant ash with water. It was rich in calcium and minerals. It was possibly consumed after training or fights. Isotopic analysis of gladiator bones showed high strontium levels, consistent with plant ash consumption. Plant ash is the mineral-rich residue of burned wood or herbs. This is mixed with water and possibly vinegar. High strontium bone levels are consistent with a primarily vegetarian diet. Meat-derived calcium suppresses the absorption of strontium (by both the intestine and the bones), thus, a lower strontium level in a more meat-rich diet. https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/new-evidence-suggests-gladiators-consumed-plant-ash-bone-strength-002262 https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/10/27/357903336/gladiator-gatorade-ancient-athletes-also-had-a-recovery-drink https://www.sciencealert.com/roman-gladiators-drank-a-post-workout-drink-made-from-ash The gladiators were intentionally overfed to keep them bulky and padded. They needed a thicker layer of fat to protect against cut and slash injuries from the arena. Reviews of the book: https://the-past.com/review/books/those-who-are-about-to-die-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roman-gladiator/ https://open.substack.com/pub/donaldrobertson/p/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roman-gladiator?r=k9yfw&utm_medium=ios https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harry-sidebottom-on-gladiators-rome-and-those-who-are/id1631182936?i=1000731125285 Edited April 11 by guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guidoLaMoto Posted April 12 Report Share Posted April 12 A couple points-- The various grains are all pretty close to each other in content of amino acids & carb calories per unit weight, so there is no nutritional magic in preferring one over another. ....Growing barley was a little more productive than growing wheat in the Mediterranean climate, but wheat gave a more delicate, palatable bread than berley. https://everything.explained.today/Agriculture_in_ancient_Rome/#Ref-5 After burning off the C, H, O & N in biomass as co2, h2o & NOx to the atmosphere, what's left (ash) is mostly the inorganic minerals-- high in K, Ca, & Mg....Dissolve it in water, and it makes a great fertilizer for your veggie garden or primitive Gatorade for your gladiator--- but be careful to dilute it well because that's also the recipe for making lye. ..but those gladiators were tough. I wonder if they chewed nails for their Iron? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caesar novus Posted April 12 Report Share Posted April 12 (edited) 22 hours ago, guy said: The gladiators were intentionally overfed to keep them bulky and padded. They needed a thicker layer of fat to protect against cut and slash injuries from the arena. Compare to sumo wrestlers, who supposedly cultivate subcutaneous rather than bad visceral fat (thanks to exercise): Edited April 12 by caesar novus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guidoLaMoto Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 16 hours ago, caesar novus said: Compare to sumo wrestlers, who supposedly cultivate subcutaneous rather than bad visceral fat (thanks to exercise): I let that comment about fat as a protection against sword slashes slide....Another good example of speculation unsupported by fact (or even logic) based on a line or two of comment by an ancient author.... Contact sports usually confer an advantage to the larger competitor simply by virtue of physics-- inertia/transfer of momentum. The skinny guy bounces farther back than the big guy every time. I like Vince Lombardi's (very successful American football coach) take on it-- "Ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Football is a collision sport." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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