4. Volunteers Seeking Fame or Fortune
Some free men, known as auctorati, chose to become gladiators voluntarily. Motivated by debt, desire for fame, or adventure, these men signed contracts and often gained a unique celebrity status. They were free men who hired themselves out as gladiators, referred to by their proper names, distinguishing them from slaves who were given single-word stage names. The earliest evidence of the use of auctorati dates back to 122 BC, during the law of Gaius Gracchus.
