What Was the Diet of Gladiators? Unearthing the Surprising Truth
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4 min read
Contrary to the lean, meat-eating ideal often depicted in films, archaeological and historical evidence reveals that Roman gladiators followed a primarily plant-based, high-carbohydrate diet. Nicknamed the *hordearii* or "barley-eaters," their physique was not defined by chiseled muscle, but by a strategically cultivated layer of fat.
