Who Fought in the Beast Hunts?
The hunters were called bestiarii. The were trained at a special gladiator school called Ludus Matutinus, which was located near the Colosseum. The bestiarii consisted of mostly criminals who committed petty crimes. They could also be slaves, who were sold by their owners, or volunteers, who willingly gave up their lives to battle the beasts.
The bestiarii were usually dressed in finely decorated tunics and used spears as their weapons, but unlike gladiators had no defensive armor. However, there are depictions of bestiarii wearing suits of chain mail and helmets, and carrying shields and swords. If the bestiarii was killed by the animal, then another professional could be sent in to kill the beast. As a reward, the bestiarii could earn prize money for their successful slayings.
