Callistus

I am Callistus, freedman of the emperor; I have been in charge of the armory in the Ludus Magnus for many years. Although I'm getting on in years now, I was quite a swordsman myself in my youth, and while I was still a slave I used to teach the boys in the imperial household how to use weapons properly. Since I always made sure the weapons were cleaned and stored after we were finished, I guess I was a natural for this position when the emperor freed me. I don't take any lip from the gladiators here no matter how big they are, and I think the fighters respect me because I always make sure their armor and weapons are in top condition. I polish the bronze till it shines like gold, for what we are doing in that huge arena down the road is entertainment, and the audience expects the performers to look their best as well as to fight skillfully and bravely. These gladiators may not be well born, but I think of them as the sons I never had, and I admire them more than those snotty nobles I used to teach in the palace. I give the gladiators the tools that will enable them to win, or at least to stay alive. As I always tell my boys, a skilled gladiator with the right armor and weapons has all the protection he needs.

My wife, Flavia Nike, and I had only one child, a daughter born to us while we were still slaves and sold to another household. She was named by them Frontina and freed to marry her master, but she recently died in childbirth--too young; she was only sixteen! Even though we were not able to raise her, Nike and I always loved her. Next time you are strolling on the Via Appia, take a look at the beautiful inscription that we set up on our family tomb for her.