In the ancient times, Roman gladiators served as fighters that provided entertainment to the civilians of Rome. Gladiators would fight each other, or in some cases wild animals, in front of jeering crowds. Often, gladiators were prisoners who had the physical strength, but in the later years, they mainly consisted of volunteers who wanted to show their fighting skills in front of spectators, per UNRV Roman History. There are many interesting facts to learn about Roman gladiators, but one of them stands out as being unusual.

Slaves who became gladiators were frowned upon by society. However, some became popular due to their skills and were treated like sports stars. Today, hardcore fans of musicians or movie stars would pay premium dollars for a strand of hair from their idols. Back then, the same was done with famous gladiators’ sweat. According to Ripley’s, dirt and sweat gathered from the skin of great gladiators would be collected and put into vials. These vials would then be sold outside arenas, and wealthy women were the typical patrons. The gladiator sweat, however, wasn’t merely purchased as a collector’s item.

The purpose of gladiator sweat

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