National Geographic USA 08.2021

08.2021

Gladiators
THE REAL LIFE BEHIND THE SHIELD

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FURTHER AUGUST 2021

CONTENTS On the Cover

Ready for combat, a heavily
armed Thraex gladiator
holds up his shield and
sica, a short sword with
a curved blade, in the
amphitheater at Pompeii.

FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA

PROOF EXPLORE

15
THE BIG IDEA
6 28
The Dog (et al.) Days
A Summer Trip If we love holidays DECODER
to the Shore and we love animals,
In landlocked Hungary, it’s no surprise that Space Hurricane
an ersatz seashore we’d love animal- A vortex of plasma
vacation—to Lake Bala- themed holidays. spins up to 31,000
ton, central Europe’s miles above Earth.
largest lake—is a tradi- BY OLIVER WHANG
tion for many families. BY ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS
I N N OVATO R
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AND JASON TREAT; ILLUS-
The ‘Gardening’ Tapir
Z S Ó F I A PÁ LY I This animal is key to TRATION BY MARK GARLICK
reviving Brazil’s wet-
lands after wildfires,
says conservation ecol-
ogist Patrícia Medici.

BY ANNIE ROTH

ALSO TOOL KIT

Parrot, Macaw Mummies Tidal Technique
Shark Species Decline With simple tools, he
sculpts elaborate tow-
ers on shifting sands.

BY CATHERINE ZUCKERMAN
PHOTOGRAPH BY
REBECCA HALE

ALSO

Japanese Washi Paper
A Photographer’s Youth

F E AT U R E S Ancient Rome’s Perfectly Clear The Edge of Survival
Fight Club New findings tell sci- The delicate balance
Real gladiators weren’t entists more about the of life in the Kalahari
quite like those in the translucent amphibians is at risk from increases
movies. They were known as glass frogs. in heat and droughts.
more interested in
putting on a good show BY ANGELA BY LEONIE JOUBERT
than in killing each
other, and surprisingly, P O S A DA- S WA F F O R D PHOTOGRAPHS BY
most were fighters
by profession. PHOTOGRAPHS BY T H O M A S P. P E S C H A K

BY ANDREW CURRY JAIME CULEBRAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 110

PHOTOGRAPHS BY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 72 A B OV E : Desert dwellers in
the Kalahari collaborate to
RÉMI BÉNALI Hunger in America stay alive. Among meerkats
In 2020, 1 in 7 people (shown), some of lesser rank
ART BY FERNANDO G. in the U.S. didn’t get provide care for the pups
sufficient food. of the high-ranking female,
B A P T I S TA while others stand guard to
BY CASSANDRA SPRATLING warn of predators.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 86

A U G U S T | FROM THE EDITOR

MEET ONE OF Ideas That
OUR ARTISTS ‘Surprise People’

BY SUSAN GOLDBERG PHOTOGRAPHS BY REBECCA HALE

A RT S U P P L I E S , models, tools, works in gladiators project, for example, Fer- When he creates true-
progress: This photo gives one glimpse nando worked with a researcher to draft to-life images of sharks,
into the studioof Senior Artist Fernando historically accurate sketches. Those saber-toothed cats, and
Baptista, at National Geographic’s were shown to a half dozen experts who other creatures that either
headquarters in Washington, D.C. I’m looked at the clothing, the backgrounds, are or were alive on Earth,
writing about Fernando’s work now the arenas, the appearance of the National Geographic’s
because there’s so much of it in this crowd, the fight moves—every manner Fernando Gomez Baptista
month’s issue: The cover art for “Glad- of detail to make sure it was just right. (below) consults with
iators: Ancient Rome’s Fight Club.” experts to make his depic-
Eight pages of infographics showing Those consulted don’t always agree. tions as accurate and
how these warriors fought and lived. But even battling experts don’t dull Fer- complete as possible. But
And, for our story on southern Africa’s nando’s enthusiasm for telling a story. when he’s drawing for fun,
Kalahari, an explainer about animals’ he likes to invent space
adaptations to heat. “I always try new things,” he says, aliens and monsters like
approaching each story with these ques- those that populate science
A native of Spain, Fernando was tions: “What don’t people know? How fiction and comic books—
the director of graphics at El Correo can I get people interested? I want to and then, he jokes, “at least
in Bilbao—a newspaper renowned for surprise people with ideas.” I don’t have to worry about
its visual journalism—when National the experts.”
Geographic called. “They offered me When people think of National
a job, and I thought, Why not?” says Geographic visuals, most think first
Fernando, who moved to the United of photography. But illustrators and
States and joined us in 2007. graphic artists such as Fernando
and the rest of our talented team are
His art has won every kind of honor— just as vital to our goal of explaining
more than 200 awards, medals, cita- and exploring the natural world and
tions, you name it—from every major humankind’s journey in it.
group that judges illustrations and
graphics. He’s even been nominated Thank you for reading National
for two Emmys, for his animation work. Geographic. j

How does Fernando create? Often,
before he starts to draw, he fashions a
three-dimensional polymer clay model.
“The models help me find the best per-
spective,” he says. “I can see how the
light works. It makes it more realistic,
and you can get the right point of view.”

Sometimes he’ll photograph a model
and paint on the photo with acrylics or
digitally. Other times he’ll use the mod-
els to create a pencil drawing, scan the
drawing into the computer, paint it dig-
itally, then merge it with a background
he has painted. Occasionally he will
make one of his models a figure in an
animated film. In short: He’s amazing.

And then there’s the matter of vet-
ting his creations with experts. For the

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PROOF

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC P H OTO G R A P H S B Y Z S Ó F I A PÁ LY I
LOOKING AT THE EARTH FROM EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE

6 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A SUMMER TRIP TO THE SHORE

In landlocked Hungary, an ersatz seashore vacation—to central Europe’s largest lake—is a tradition.

VOL. 240 NO. 2

A boy dives into
the shallow waters of
Hungary’s Lake Balaton.
The nearly 50-mile-
long lake is the largest
in central Europe and
for decades has been a
popular destination for
summer vacationers.

AUGUST 2021 7

PROOF

As people frolic, float, and wade in Lake Balaton, photographer Zsófia Pályi captures their portraits
in its cyan waters—a result of its shallowness, chemical composition, and algae content.

8 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Hungary’s second most popular vacation destination, after Budapest, the lake is surrounded by
vineyards, mountains, and thermal spa resorts. Its coastlike ambience lures landlocked Hungarians.

AUGUST 2021 9

PROOF

Paddleboaters explore the lake. UNESCO is considering designating part of Balaton’s north shore a World
Heritage site; features include volcanic rock formations, Celtic stone sculptures, and historic castles.

10 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

A swimmer with compatibly colored hair comes up for air. On the lake’s bottom lie remnants from the
past century: several World War II–era planes and other wartime rubble.

A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 11

PROOF

THE BACKSTORY

A PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF SUMMER
IN THE TURQUOISE SHALLOWS OF HUNGARY’S LAKE BALATON.

W H E N S H E WA S A K I D, Zsófia Pályi kids, says Pályi, and also for the camera
spent summers with her family at Lake shy: The depth lets people decide how
Balaton in western Hungary. Many much of their bodies to show off and
Hungarians then couldn’t afford travel how much to hide underneath.
to other countries, she says, so the lake
was an exotic getaway. For others, it was The lake’s long, skinny shape also
a respite: From the 1960s to ’80s, Ger- invites some photographic tricks.
man families separated by the Berlin Pályi always points her camera north
Wall reunited on its shores for vacation. to the horizon, and with only water in
People called it the Hungarian Sea. the background, the shore looks like
a Hungarian impossibility: a beach
Today, Hungarians still vacation beside an ocean. She also shoots on
at the lake, and photographer Pályi film with a 1950s-era Hasselblad 500
returns to capture one particular aspect: camera, adding a vintage aesthetic—
its shallowness. Balaton is only a few because sometimes the past is the
feet deep at the lake’s south end. That nicest lens through which to view the
makes it a good place for families and present. — DA N I E L S TO N E

The Hungarian sky and a runaway inflatable raft are reflected in the lake’s surface.

EXPLORE IN THIS SECTION

Shark Species Declines
Space Hurricane
Sandcastle Architect
A Photographer’s Youth

ILLUMINATING THE MYSTERIES—AND WONDERS—ALL AROUND US EVERY DAY

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VOL. 240 NO. 2

The Dog
(et al.) Days

IF WE LOVE DAYS THAT CELEBRATE SOMETHING, AND WE LOVE
ANIMALS, NO WONDER WE LOVE DAYS THAT CELEBRATE ANIMALS.

BY OLIVER WHANG ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARMANDO VEVE

RA N G E R M I K E F I T Z WA S at the front desk of the
Katmai National Park and Preserve’s visitors cen-
ter in late September 2014, when he had the idea.
Katmai, in southern Alaska, is known for its salmon
and brown bears. In summer, fish by the ton barrel
up the rivers, desperate to spawn, and bears stake
out spots where they can grab and gobble up prey
in order to pack on fat for the cold months to come.
At certain prime fishing locations, cameras are set
up to stream live video.

The “bear cams” attract a loyal online audience
and generate a spirited comments section. On that
late September day, Fitz was moderating the com-
ments when he saw a diptych one viewer had posted.
On the left was a “before” photo of a brown bear,
slack-coated and skinny after months of hiberna-
tion. On the right was a photo of that same bear in
September—it was larger by half, huge, supersize.

That gave Fitz the idea: Why not post a bunch of

A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 15

E X P L O R E | THE BIG IDEA

bear pictures on Facebook, showing the animals become an internet sensation. Online participation
in their lean and enlarged states—and make it a has grown exponentially. In 2020, more than 600,000
competition? It could help answer the perennial and votes were cast, and many major media publications
irresistible question: Which bear is the fattest? And, ran articles about it.
if the competition drew attention, Fitz could use it to
educate people about the bears, the salmon, and the Why has Fitz’s brainchild distinguished itself
importance of conservation. So began what is now among thousands of holidays? For one thing, Fat
Fat Bear Week: seven days in the fall when viewers Bear Week is funny. And once levity gets people’s
vote online, narrowing a tournament bracket of bears attention, the holiday encourages them to show
down to a single, corpulent victor. animals some real love.

Fat Bear Week could have been just another flighty G O TO A N Y O F the dozens of holiday calendars that
example of modern humans’ weakness for declaring have sprung up online. Pick a random day, week, or
holidays—that propensity to fill every square on month, and you’ll find an almost disturbing num-
the calendar with commemorations, observances, ber of observances dedicated to a wide breadth of
recognitions, or declarations of a National Day of subjects. Days referencing animals specifically are
Something. But since its debut, the competition has plentiful, even crowded. In 2020, Fat Bear voting

16 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

opened a week after the observances of World Rhino Can you spot the animal days?
Day and Elephant Appreciation Day (September
22). And the winning bear—747, an absolute mon- Days dedicated to animals are sprinkled through-
ster whose belly nearly touched the ground—was out the year. On the illustration of observances
crowned on October 6, also known as Badger Day. above, how many can you find?

The observances’ intents are a mixture: altruistic, January 20 Penguin Awareness Day, 21 Squirrel Appreciation
commercial, historical, fantastical, serious, funny. Day. February 1 National Serpent Day, 2 National Hedgehog
Some involve physical events (like sunset “batwalks” Day. March 3 What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable
to mark Bat Week, October 24-31). Others exist pri- Thumbs Day, 14 National Learn About Butterflies Day,
marily as hashtags or posts on social media—but the 20 World Sparrow Day. April 4 World Rat Day, 8 Pygmy
line between a strictly online presence and a more Hippo Day, 9 Unicorn Day, 12 World Hamster Day. May
“legitimate” existence is thin, often to the point of 2 World Tuna Day, 8 World Donkey Day, 16 National Sea
disappearance. According to a May 16 calendar entry, Monkey Day, 23 World Turtle Day, 24 National Escargot Day.
National Sea Monkey Day exists to celebrate “the tiny June 21 World Giraffe Day. Second Tuesday of July Cow
brine shrimp that swim around mail-order aquari- Appreciation Day. July 29 International Tiger Day. August 12
ums”—and from little more than that, the holiday World Elephant Day, 19 International Orangutan Day. First
Saturday in September Vulture Awareness Day. September
8 National Iguana Awareness Day. September/October Fat
Bear Week. October 29 National Cat Day (U.S.). November 3
Jellyfish Day. December 13 National Day of the Horse.

A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 17

E X P L O R E | THE BIG IDEA

not only went viral; it was written up in Newsweek. reputation—but in 2020, it also helped find homes
Getting attention is one point, if not the point, of for more than 20,000 shelter pets.

animal holidays. Groups name days to advocate for October is Adopt-a-Dog Month, March 2 is Interna-
conservation, shine a light on animal cruelty, and tional Rescue Cat Day—and between them, canines
educate people about biodiversity. Think World Ele- and felines have inspired scores of observances.
phant Day (August 12), World Hippo Day (February
15), World Giraffe Day (June 21), International Orang- National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day (Janu-
utan Day (August 19), to name just a few. The United ary 22) urges humans to try to see the world through
Nations designates more than 170 special weeks and cats’ eyes, the better to answer questions such as:
days, including World Bee Day on May 20 (birthday Why won’t you let me on the kitchen counter? It might
of beekeeping pioneer Anton Janša) and World Tuna also make us more appreciative of Hairball Awareness
Day on May 2, to spotlight both tuna’s role in feeding Day, observed on the last Friday in April. And there
the world and the importance of not overfishing it. are many more cat holidays, including Happy Mew
Year Day for Cats (January 2), Hug Your Cat Day (June
Other holidays seek to rehab the reputations of 4), Ginger Cat Appreciation Day (September 1)—and
maligned creatures. World Rat Day (April 4) was at least three days in tribute to black cats.
started in 2002 by pet-rat enthusiasts. They endorse
rats’ good qualities—clean, sociable, intelligent—and Not to be outdone, canines have Lost Dog Aware-
decry “unthinking prejudice” against the rodents ness Day (April 23), National Black Dog Day (October
(let’s move on from the bubonic plague). Also ded- 1), National Sled Dog Day (February 2), Bulldogs Are
icated to image makeovers: Iguana Awareness Day Beautiful Day (April 21)—and on and on. For the cat
(September 8) and International Vulture Awareness and dog lovers: March 3 is What if Cats and Dogs Had
Day (first Saturday in September). Opposable Thumbs Day.

Two days urge ophidiophobics to master their Animal observances aren’t purely for advertisement
fear of a certain slithering form: National Serpent or philanthropy, fun or seriousness. They reflect the
Day on February 1 and World Snake Day on July 16 complex ways we humans interact with nature and
(though how the animals or holidays differ from each each other. Take Monkey Day, December 14, which
other isn’t entirely clear). Conversely, the American two art students created in 2000 as a lark. As the
Tortoise Rescue organization sponsors World Turtle observance spread through the pair’s art and com-
Day (May 23) and—even though turtles and tortoises ics, though, it started drawing attention to declining
are not the same—dedicates the day to both. monkey populations. More than two decades out,
the holiday has been recognized on Jane Goodall’s
Of course the difference between International Facebook page and on nationalgeographic.com, and
Land Snail Day (November 7) and National Escargot primate conservation has become a central message.
Day (May 24) needn’t be explained. Note that you
have six months to repent for celebrating the latter Which brings us back to Fat Bear Week. Mike Fitz,
before the former comes around. now a resident naturalist and author of a book on
the bears, never expected the holiday to get this
On August 20, feel free to squash the honoree. It’s big. He uses it to bring attention to the salmon runs
World Mosquito Day, to mark the 1897 discovery that where the bears get so fat, and to how climate change
female mosquitoes transmit malaria to humans. threatens the ecosystem. During Fat Bear Week 2020,
bearcam views on websites including fatbearweek
T H E R E ’ S C O M M E RC I A L VA LU E to the buzz that these .org topped 2.5 million—and, between donations
holidays generate, as some businesses have noticed. and matches, a park conservancy fundraiser took
Consider Cow Appreciation Day, which sounds like in more than $200,000.
an homage to those beloved bovines. In fact, it’s
a promotion on the second Tuesday of July by It’s a nifty shift from funny clickbait to serious
fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A, which gives free conservation education, but Fitz feels comfortable
chicken to customers who dress up in cow-patterned straddling this line. Two hundred grand from fat
clothes. Yet how an observance pays off isn’t always bears is something to celebrate. j
black and white. Sponsoring National Make A Dog’s
Day (October 22) likely helps carmaker Subaru’s Oliver Whang is a freelance journalist working for National Geo-
graphic, the New Yorker, and the New York Times; he studies
philosophy at Princeton University.

Tributes for Days

H O L I DAY S A R E D E S I G N AT E D by UN declarations, acts of
Congress—even websites that list observances devised by
companies, causes, groups, and individuals. The result is
calendars with holiday pileups like June 1. That’s National
Hazelnut Cake Day, so eat up … and National Olive Day, so
enjoy, but mind the pits! Should you choke on one, though,
never fear: It’s also National Heimlich Maneuver Day.* — OW

*ALSO ON JUNE 1: INTERNATIONAL TABLETOP GAME DAY 2021, WORLD MILK DAY,
AND NATIONAL NAIL POLISH DAY



E X P L O R E | BREAKTHROUGHS

D I S PATC H E S Pharaohs’ new digs
FROM THE FRONT LINES
No more contrived displays for the
OF SCIENCE 22 royal mummies—including Queen
AND INNOVATION Hatshepsut (right), one of the few
female pharaohs—moved to Cairo's
new National Museum of Egyptian
Civilization in a gala parade last
spring. Instead, the human remains
will lie in dim, tomblike halls with
their burial goods. —TO M M U E L L E R

MEDICAL RESEARCH Mummified
menagerie
NANO-SPECIAL DELIVERY
Archaeologists
TESTS TRACK HOW PARTICLES MIGHT CONVEY excavating the
A C A N C E R D RU G D I R E C T LY TO A B RA I N T U M O R . remains of ancient
societies in the
H U N D R E D S O F D RU G S designed to fight glioblastoma multiforme, Atacama Desert
an aggressive brain cancer, have failed in clinical trials, often in northern Chile
because they’re stopped by specialized blood vessels known as have unearthed
the blood-brain barrier. So Joelle Straehla, a postdoctoral fellow in a menagerie of
the Hammond Lab at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer mummified parrots
Research, is developing nanoparticles that could someday ferry and macaws. Schol-
drugs past the barrier and directly to tumors. To test the system, ars knew tropical
Straehla injects empty nanoparticles and a fluorescent dye into a feathers were pres-
mouse’s bloodstream as images of the brain are recorded. The dye ent in the world’s
illuminates the branchlike blood vessels (nine images above). The driest desert and
particles glow in a contrasting hue; if they reach the brain (shown had speculated
as black), algorithms can detect each glow. In these photos, specks about their origins.
represent several particles clustered in test animals’ healthy cells— A new study found
suggesting that if particles reach the brain but not a tumor, they that the birds likely
might have other uses, like immunotherapy. —THERESA MACHEMER were captured
in the Amazon—
PHOTOS, FROM TOP: KENNETH GARRETT; JOELLE STRAEHLA, JEFFREY WYCKOFF, AND PAULA T. HAMMOND, over 300 miles
KOCH INSTITUTE, MIT; CALOGERO SANTORO, UNIVERSIDAD DE TARAPACÁ AND JOSÉ CAPRILES, PENN STATE away—taken to the
Atacama, and raised
for their ornate
feathers. Why they
were mummified
remains a mystery—
but they were
prized as symbols of
wealth and status.

—ANNIE ROTH

%XVLQHVV RZQHU *UDQGPRWKHU 7UX H KXQWHU
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EXPLORE PATRÍCIA MEDICI

INNOVATOR

BY ANNIE ROTH PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN

She champions a rare,
imperiled species found
only in South America.

As a child living on the outskirts of São
Paulo, Brazil, Patrícia Medici spent
her playtime “walking along trails in
the forest and watching animals.” Her
passion for wildlife blossomed into a
career: Medici, a conservation biologist
and National Geographic Explorer,
is the world’s leading expert on the
lowland tapir, a large, elusive South
American herbivore.

Looking like a cross between a pig
and an elephant, tapirs can be six feet
long and as heavy as a pony. “They’re
so big and powerful but still so gentle,”
Medici says. “When they walk through
the forest, you can barely hear them.”

When she started studying lowland
tapirs in 1996, little was known about
them other than that they were at risk
of extinction because of poaching and
habitat loss. Medici has spent decades
tracking tapirs across wetlands and jun-
gles, using GPS telemetry and camera
traps. The findings have transformed
our understanding of tapir ecology.

In 2020 wildfires devastated about
a third of Brazil’s Pantanal region, the
world’s largest tropical wetland and a
crucial lowland tapir habitat. The fires
killed and injured many tapirs, often
called the “gardeners of the forest”
because their seed-laden droppings
promote growth. Medici is focused on
saving the remaining tapirs, which she
deems crucial to restoring the ecosys-
tem. “We have to make sure that they
survive so their habitat will be there
for the next generation,” she says. j

The National Geographic Society has
funded Medici’s work. Learn more
about its support of explorers protecting
critical species at natgeo.com/impact.

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E X P L O R E | DATA SHEET

DISAPPEARING The global abundance of ocean sharks 29% gain
SHARKS and rays has declined by 71 percent since over 47 years
1970, due to increased fishing and a lack
BY MONICA SERRANO AND of protections. Worldwide, sharks and
rays are accidentally caught as bycatch,
SEAN MCNAUGHTON but in some places they’re targeted
for their meat as well as their fins, gill
plates, leather, and liver oil. An estimated
63 million to 273 million sharks were
landed in the early 2000s, a peak of shark
overfishing with lasting implications.

The Living Planet Index tracks abun- LARGE SHARKS & RAYS MEDIUM-SIZE SHARKS
dance via population trends since More than 16.4 feet 8.2-16 feet
1970 or when data was first available.
Great Smooth
Baseline hammerhead shark hammerhead shark
population
13% loss
over 39 years Smooth hammerheads
are rebounding in areas
with protections, such
as the northwest Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico.

White
shark

37% loss
over 42 years

50% Common
of baseline thresher shark
population

60% loss How fast are they Dusky
over 32 years disappearing? shark

Triangles show pop- Oceanic
ulation change over whitetip
time studied. shark

Giant Count at start 75% loss 72% loss
manta of studied period over 24 years over 45 years
ray

Reef 86% loss Population Oceanic whitetips are
manta over 15 years change critically endangered;
ray their populations have
98% loss Species plummeted by 75 percent.
Extinction over 15 years
Years
studied

1=Not expected to 0.98
become extinct soon 0.86 0.81

Going, going, gone? Red List Index 0.56 Coral
0=All species extinct 1996 2008
Corals and oceanic sharks have Oceanic
moved toward extinction quickly in 1980 Sharks
recent decades. Birds and mammals,
in comparison, have more steady 2018
population trends because of
decades of conservation efforts.

24 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

Global oceanic sharks and rays catch 370,288 under
Metric tons per year
162,778 pressure
275,047 Unreported
catch Slow growth and low
135,908 157,313 reproductive output make
207,510 it hard for shark and ray
112,533 Reported populations to withstand
catch rising demand. Ocean
0 1980 1990 2000 shark catch rates have tri-
1970 2014* pled since 1970—and that’s
only reported catches.

Average age at which adults have first offspring: SMALL RAYS
Less than 8.2 feet
Less than 15 years old 15–30 years old More than 30 years old

Blue Porbeagle Pelagic
shark shark stingray

Shortfin 15% loss 26% loss
mako shark over 45 years over 11 years

38% loss 29% loss
over 48 years over 46 years

Blue sharks are the top spe-
cies in the fin trade. They’re
protected by only a few
national catch limits.

Silky Pelagic thresher
shark shark

63% loss 62% loss
over 25 years over 35 years

Silky sharks live in tropical Illustrations Shortfin
waters. They’re one of the are to scale devil ray
three most coveted species
in the shark fin trade. Devil rays are netted for 91% loss
their gill plates, which are over 15 years
in high demand for use in
a Chinese tonic.

0.91 0.90
0.85 0.85
0.76 0.74

Birds Mammals Amphibians National Geographic’s
1996 2008 SharkFest celebrates the
1988 2016 1980 2004 ocean’s apex predators in
July. Watch Shark Beach With
Chris Hemsworth and other
shark programming on the
network, and the feature
documentary Playing With
Sharks streaming on Disney+.

STUDY PERIODS VARY; SOME SPECIES WERE NOT MONITORED AS EARLY OR CONSISTENTLY AS OTHERS. *LATEST AVAILABLE DATA.
SOURCES: NATHAN PACOUREAU AND OTHERS, “HALF A CENTURY OF GLOBAL DECLINE IN OCEANIC SHARKS AND RAYS,” NATURE; OCEANA; IUCN

E X P L O R E | PLANET POSSIBLE

For more stories about how Suppose we clean up our
to help the planet, go to messes and recycle what
natgeo.com/planet can be salvaged. Isn’t
that how Mother Nature
would want us to behave?

BY CHRISTINA NUNEZ

1 3BUY
RECYCLED
VOLUNTEER
Patio Decor From Plastic
Pick Up Some Good,
Clean Beach Vibes Sprucing up the backyard? You’ll find many
Coastlines catch all eco-friendly options for outdoor accesso-
kinds of trash: food ries, from hardy, brightly patterned mats
wrappers, bottles—and that once were soda bottles to biodegrad-
lately, face masks. For able doormats made from coconut husks.
International Coastal
Cleanup Month, in COOK OUT 4 SUNBLOCKS THAT STAY ON
September, environ-
mental groups and TO GRILL WITHOUT S TAY One way to ensure your
local authorities are SINGEING THE PLANET, SHADED sun protection is effective
organizing virtual and AVOID LIGHTER FLUID and reef safe is to wear UV-
in-person activities. AND EASY-LIGHT blocking clothes, which
In 2019 Ocean Conser- CHARCOAL, WHICH EMIT reduce the need for lotions
vancy volunteers CHEMICALS. OR TRY A or sprays. Look for a UPF,
worldwide collected GRILL RUN ON PELLETS or ultraviolet protection
more than 20 million OF COMPRESSED factor, rating.
pounds of beach trash. WOOD SCRAPS, WASTE
Search online for a THAT BURNS WITH
beach plus “cleanup” LITTLE POLLUTION.
to find events—or start
your own pick-up posse.

5 ECO-EXERCISE

We have Sweden to thank
for the green sport called
plogging. From the Swed-
ish term plocka upp (pick
up), it combines jogging
and picking up trash. The
activity has been adopted
around the world—and
adapted: Consider going
pliking or plalking where
you live, to get fit as you
pick up litter.

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO; SHUTTERSTOCK/STOCKCREATIONS; ROMAN MILERT,
ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; SHUTTERSTOCK/EVGENIIAND; ZELJKO DANGUBIC, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

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E X P L O R E | DECODER

T H E P H YS I C S B E H I N D the iridescent funnel up to 1,700 miles across and
beauty of the northern and southern more than 31,000 miles high. The sci-
lights are more or less understood, entists dubbed it a “space hurricane”
yet they can still befuddle scientists. and adapted a 3D model of the move-
Case in point: When the solar wind is ment of magnetic fluids to show how
weak, a fuzzy patch of auroral lights the hurricane formed. The weak solar
has sometimes appeared over the wind, combined with the alignment
north magnetic pole like an ephem- of the north magnetic poles of the sun
eral, glowing spaceship. Early this year and Earth, constricted a normally
researchers were finally able to explain expansive swath of northern lights into
this phenomenon by analyzing data a tight, rotating spot above magnetic
recorded by U.S. Cold War–era satellites north. Above Earth is the only place
on August 20, 2014. They reported that these space hurricanes have been
the patch spun in a vortex-like manner; spotted—so far.
had a calm center with strong “winds”
of electrically excited gas, or plasma,
zipping around it; and was a gigantic

A QUIET STORM

On Earth, hurricanes are fed from
below as moist air rises over a warm
ocean. In space, hurricanes need quiet
conditions, such as a flipped polarity
and low solar wind speed and density.

FLIPPED POLARITY

An expansive aurora happens when the solar
wind is strong and Earth’s magnetic field
points north as the sun’s points south. If the
solar wind is weak and the sun’s magnetic
field points north, the aurora contracts into
a tight spot above Earth’s north magnetic
pole—good conditions for a space hurricane.

SPACE HURRICANE
Electron precipitation, auroral ovals, a glowing vortex 31,000 miles high and
1,700 miles across: That’s hurricane season at Earth’s north magnetic pole.

BY ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS A N D JASON TREAT
ILLUSTRATION BY MARK GARLICK

28 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C EVE CONANT AND HEIDI SCHULTZ, NGM STAFF
SOURCE: QING-HE ZHANG, SHANDONG UNIVERSITY

ELECTRON PRECIPITATION

Electrons rain down from the solar
wind onto the Earth’s magnetic
field lines and ping off of gases
such as oxygen and nitrogen in
the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
This releases multihued flashes
of light known as an aurora.

SWIRLING OVAL

As the opening above the
magnetic pole, or auroral oval,
contracts, the swirling plasma
speeds up and forms a vortex.

THE EYE

Like hurricanes in Earth’s lower
atmosphere, space hurricanes
have a calm eye. Up here, winds
of plasma—not air—rush around
it at breakneck speeds.

Strong Magnetic field Weak Space
solar wind solar wind hurricane
when the sun’s Wide when the sun’s funnel
magnetic field auroral oval magnetic field
is opposite is aligned with Contracted
the Earth’s the Earth’s auroral oval

How normal auroras form How a space hurricane forms
Electrons that the sun emits rain down on In 2014 the sun’s magnetic field was aligned
Earth’s magnetic field, causing auroras as they with the Earth’s, creating a weak interaction and
collide with gases. When the sun’s magnetic shrinking the auroral oval. Electron rain fell on
field is opposite that of Earth, it creates a wide the constricted oval, making it brighter. As the
opening, or auroral oval, which spreads out and aurora spun, it became very tight, stretching
disperses the aurora. high above the Earth’s surface.

A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 29

E X P L O R E | ARTIFACT The world of washi

JAPAN’S CENTURIES-LONG MINO’S UDATSU DISTRICT
PASSION FOR PAPER
This historic quarter is lined
PHOTO GRAPH BY JAMES WHITLOW DELANO with former washi merchant
houses—some preserved
A RT I ST YAYO I KU SA M A’ S fantastical Mount Fuji scenes are printed as museums, others trans-
on it, designer Yumi Katsura makes bridal gowns from it, and film formed into cafés, shops,
director David Lynch creates lithographs with it. Called washi, and galleries. In October
Japanese handcrafted paper can be found in everything from the streets glow with
umbrellas and jewelry to coronavirus-blocking face masks. But washi lanterns during the
its history goes back at least 1,300 years. Akari Art Festival.

Traditionally used for scrolls, books, and screens, washi received MINO-WASHI MUSEUM
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status in 2014, based on the
papermaking customs of these three places: Hamada in Shimane Exhibits highlight the
Prefecture, Mino in Gifu Prefecture, and Ogawa/Higashi-chichibu paper’s versatility and
in Saitama Prefecture. “The designation wasn’t about washi or the detail the washi-making
people who make it—it was given to the techniques,” says Takeshi process, while workshops
Kano, one of eight artisans qualified to create Honminoshi, Mino’s offer short, hands-on
highest grade of washi. This must be “made entirely by hand and lessons in the craft.
use only three ingredients: paper mulberry, water, and neri, a plant
mucilage that ensures the even dispersal of paper fibers,” he says. ECHIZEN KAMI FESTIVAL

The method employed by Kano—and centuries of artisans before Washi production isn’t
him—involves a time-consuming process that begins with purifying limited to the UNESCO-
the mulberry bark fibers and forming a pulp. He then dips a frame designated areas. In Fukui
into the pulp and gently rocks it until the crisscrossing fibers form Prefecture’s rural Echizen
a sodden sheet of paper. After a period of drying, classic washi is region, there are more
ready to go out into the modern world. — RO B G O S S than 60 paper mills and a
tribute to the legendary
goddess of paper at
Okamoto Otaki Shrine,
which honors washi’s divine
influence with this annual
festival in early May.

OZU WASHI

Opened in 1653, this
wholesaler in Tokyo’s
Nihonbashi district stocks
all sorts of washi and
products made from it.
Visitors can attend washi-
making workshops and
tour a small museum.

Master calligrapher Tadashi Kawamata uses washi, a traditional type of paper that is still ubiquitous in Japan.

THE
EXCEPTIONAL
LIGHT BEER

2.6g CARBS 90 CALS

Drink responsibly. Corona Premier® Beer. Imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL. Per 12 fl. oz.
serving average analysis: Calories 90, Carbs 2.6 grams, Protein 0.7 grams, Fat 0.0 grams.

E X P L O R E | TOOL KIT 6

5

4

3
2

1

TIDAL TECHNIQUE

32 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

8
7

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE 1. Teapot
A relic from his daughter’s
E V E RY S U M M E R , LO U GAG N O N spends a week at the beach building childhood, this toy is
sandcastles—big ones. An artist and former architect, Gagnon Gagnon’s favorite tool.
picked up the seaside pastime more than 20 years ago as a way to He uses it for “wet carv-
entertain his young daughter. His creations have since advanced ing,” gently splashing
from simple structures to elaborately sculpted tableaux with spires away sand in areas where
reaching as high as five feet. Gagnon’s sandcastles are intentionally he wants arched openings
impressionistic and built near the tide line, where water and wind and doorways.
can reshape them. “There’s an eternal quality to the form,” he says, 2. Big bucket
“but an ephemeral quality to the object.” — CATHERINE ZUCKERMAN This one is for transport-
ing water from the ocean;
Gagnon uses other,
bottomless buckets as
foundation molds.

3. Fine carving tools
These allow Gagnon
to add double windows
and other symmetrical
details. He designed the
black trefoil tool to form
three-column clusters.
4. PVC pipe
Weighted with sand and
water, it’s ideal for tamp-
ing down sand in molds.
5. Shapers
Domes are formed by
running the underside
of the brim of these
hatlike tools in a circular
motion over edges.
6. Trowels
These are great for
making patterns and,
literally, cutting corners.
7. Sand scapers
Stamped into moist sand,
these tools quickly shape
forms such as stairs. Gag-
non made the two sand
scapers toward the right.
8. Small shovel
Gagnon uses this to move
and dig sand and test its
quality. “The first thing I
do every morning is poke
the sand with the shovel,”
he says. “If it sounds
crunchy, it’s no good.”

A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 33

E X P L O R E | THROUGH THE LENS

A 1980s family photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind heads toward her mother, Eleonore Lind, who’s taking the photograph as her
father, Bethlehem Taylor, looks on. Horses Star and Blue wait to pull the wagon that was Taylor-Lind’s home.

STORIES FROM THE ROAD

MOM’S P OETRY READINGS, DAD’S TRAVEL YARNS, DAUGHTER’S KEEN EYE,
THE PHOTOGRAPHS IN A BOOK. WHO’S TO SAY WHAT SHAPES A CAREER?

B Y A N A STA S I A TAY LO R- L I N D

I G R E W U P T RAV E L I N G . My dad was from inner-city I thought I might like to be a war poet when I grew
London but had a dream of heading out to the coun- up, like Siegfried Sassoon or Wilfred Owen.
tryside and living in a horse-drawn wagon.
In high school I took a photography class and came
I was born on the road in 1981 and spent my first across a book with images that British photographer
few years of life traveling in southern England with my Don McCullin took in the Vietnam War. They were
parents and our horses. Eventually, my parents bought gritty black-and-white pictures of wounded young
a field in Devon where we lived in caravans [trailers]. marines tending to each other. These photos were
very dramatic—and romantic too. They felt familiar,
Until I was 13 years old, we had no running water reminding me of the World War I poetry that I knew.
or electricity—so, obviously, no TV. But my dad was
a great storyteller; I grew up engrossed in tales about Until then, it had never crossed my mind that I
his hippie-trail travels throughout Europe, America, could be a photojournalist, and in some unconscious
and Asia. And my mom read children’s novels and way, I must have also thought that photographing
poetry aloud to me every night at bedtime. Early on, war would be easier than writing poems about it.

34 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C PHOTO: COURTESY ANASTASIA TAYLOR-LIND



E X P L O R E | THROUGH THE LENS

So I told my parents I wanted to become a war pho- I STATIONED
tographer. My mom freaked out—she didn’t want MYSELF WITH
me working in dangerous places—but my dad was A SMALL UNIT
very supportive from the beginning. He thought it OF PESHMERGA
would be a great way to live my life. WOMEN ON
AN ARMY BASE.
I studied documentary photography at university, THIS IS HOW
and in 2003 I went to Iraqi Kurdistan to make a story YOU TELL
about a women’s unit of the peshmerga that had been A STORY
fighting alongside the British and American forces. OF SOMEONE’S
My dad had traveled through Kurdistan in the late LIFE—THROUGH
1970s and told amazing stories about the hospitality SMALL DETAILS.
he’d received from strangers there. While everyone
else in my family was worried about my going on Soldier Gashaw Jaffar
my first overseas reporting trip, my dad told me I’d guards a checkpoint at the
never be lonely or hungry or in need of a place to Farmanday peshmerga base
stay in Iraq. He was right. outside Slemani, Kurdistan,
Iraq, in September 2003.
He also persuaded my grandma to lend me money This portrait was Taylor-
for the trip, a thousand pounds in cash. To keep it Lind’s first submission to
safe, I put the 20-pound notes in plastic bags under any photography contest,
the insoles of my boots. With 500 pounds in each and it won first prize.
boot—then a huge amount of money to me—I
crossed the border from Turkey. I was 22 and very Hear Taylor-Lind talk
unworldly; I didn’t know it’s customary to take your about her life and work
shoes off when you enter homes in the Middle East. I in season three, episode
learned this as soon as I arrived in Dihok and had to seven of our podcast,
leave my cash-filled boots on the front porch. Overheard at National
Geographic. Learn more
I stationed myself with a small unit of maybe two at natgeo.com/overheard.
or three dozen peshmerga women on an army base
outside Slemani. I lived there for a few weeks, photo- The National
graphing every aspect of their daily lives. I didn’t Geographic Society,
have a lot of experience in making photo stories, committed to illuminating
but I knew a good start would be to make pictures and protecting the
of everything, day to day—the women sleeping, wonder of our world,
brushing their teeth in the morning, training, guard- has funded Taylor-Lind’s
ing checkpoints, cooking dinner. I didn’t know it work. Learn more about
then, but this is how you tell a story of someone’s the Society’s support at
life—through small details. For years now, I’ve doc- natgeo.com/impact.
umented different people in different places doing
much the same thing. portraits of the women and their unit commander,
Col. Rangeen Yusuf. A month after I photographed
The picture you see here is of a soldier named her, Yusuf became the first peshmerga woman to be
Gashaw Jaffar, at the checkpoint where she was killed in combat against ISIS, on October 11, 2014.
standing guard, armed with a Kalashnikov. I had
never entered my work in any contests until I submit- From a young age, I had wanted to see with my own
ted this picture to a photography competition run by eyes what war looked like. In Kurdistan I learned that
the Guardian, a U.K.-based independent newspaper. war didn’t look like a Don McCullin photograph—and
To my disbelief, I was awarded first prize. that it wasn’t like a Wilfred Owen poem either.

David Bailey, the English portrait photographer, I think my interest in war coverage stemmed from
was one of the contest judges. He likened my portrait a naive belief that telling stories about violence might
to the famous picture of Che Guevara by Alberto
Korda. I was given 5,000 pounds—more money than
I’d ever had in my life—and a commission from the
Guardian to go back to Kurdistan and photograph
the women combatants of the Kurdistan Workers
Party, or PKK, a separatist group. That prize was my
first big break as a photojournalist.

I revisited the same peshmerga base in 2014, a
decade after my first trip. Gashaw had retired, but
many of the younger women I’d met before were still
there. This time they were fighting a new enemy:
ISIS. On a tight schedule, I had only two days to make

36 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

be a solution to violence itself. As a kid, I assumed What my mother does has inspired me to refine how
that wars happened because nobody knew about I make pictures of war. Now I am more intentional
them, and if people took pictures, then they could about including the perspectives of women. I avoid
help stop wars. Of course, I now know that’s not true. harmful tropes that reduce real people to characters
in international war stories. And most of all, I focus on
My father always believed I would become a photo- the daily experiences of individuals. Even in conflict
journalist. He supported my career, proudly showing zones, people keep on living. j
copies of the magazines I was published in to his
friends, until he died in 2017. Anastasia Taylor-Lind, a National Geographic photographer
and storyteller based in London, has worked in conflict zones in
My mom eventually became a psychotherapist and Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
a mediator whose work presents solutions to violence.

PHOTO: ANASTASIA TAYLOR-LIND A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 37

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|N A T G E O E X P E D I T I O N S . C O M / W I L D L I F E 1 - 8 8 8 - 3 5 1 - 3 2 7 4

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AUGUST 2021

F EAT U R E S Gladiator Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 40
Glass Frogs.................... P. 72
Hunger in America......P. 86
Kalahari Climate..........P. 110

72 ‘THE INTERNATIONAL UNION
FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE
LISTS 10 GLASS FROG SPECIES
AS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED,
28 AS ENDANGERED, AND 21 AS
VULNERABLE TO EXTINCTION.’

PHOTO: JAIME CULEBRAS



ANCIENT ROME’S

FIGHT CLUB
REAL GLADIATORS WEREN’T QUITE LIKE THOSE IN
MOVIES. THEIR BATTLES WERE MORE ABOUT PUTTING
ON A GOOD SHOW THAN KILLING ONE ANOTHER.

BY ANDREW CURRY P H OTO G RA P H S BY RÉMI BÉNALI
A RT BY FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA

Reenactors clash in the
dust of the 1,900-year-
old Roman arena in
Arles, France. Their
gladiator contests have
helped researchers get
a better understanding
of this ancient blood
sport, which captivated
Romans for centuries.

41



Built in A.D. 238, the
amphitheater of El Jem
in Tunisia was based on
the Colosseum in Rome
and once was the third
largest venue in the
Roman Empire. For the
35,000 fans who packed
its seats, gladiators
were the main draw.



Zakhar Nikmatulin
has been fascinated
by gladiators ever
since he watched the
1960 movie Spartacus.
The scene on his back
took tattoo artist Alex-
ander Kosach 25 hours
to draw and ink in his
Moscow studio.

CHAPTER Experts debate whether
the “thumbs-down”
I gesture urging the
victor to finish off his
ARLES, FRANCE opponent, as portrayed
in an 1872 painting
THE TUNNEL (right), is fact or fiction.
UNDER THE ROMAN A fresco from Pompeii
(above) reveals that
AMPHITHEATER wounded gladiators
signaled surrender with
in Arles, France, is dark and cool. The shade is a a lifted finger. Each
welcome relief from the blazing Mediterranean fighter represented a
sun beating down on the amphitheater’s sand- sizable investment, so
strewn arena and stone bleachers. sponsors favored spar-
ing gladiators’ lives.
The gladiator helmet I’ve just put on, though,
is stifling. A replica of the head protection worn
by a Roman gladiator almost 2,000 years ago,
the dented, scratched helmet weighs more than
13 pounds—three times as heavy as a football
helmet, and far less comfortable. It has a tangy
metallic smell, as though I’ve put my head inside
a sweaty penny.

Through the bronze grate covering my
eyes, I can make out a pair of men in loincloths
warming up for a fight. Metal armguards jin-
gle as one bounces on the balls of his feet, his
stubby, hooked sword clutched in a leather-
gloved hand. As I shift uncomfortably, his
partner lifts his sword and offers to hit me in
the head, just to demonstrate how solid the
helmet is.

I shrug. Anything for a story, right? Then
their trainer, a deeply tanned, wiry French-
man named Brice Lopez, intervenes. “He’s not
trained for it,” Lopez says sharply. “He doesn’t
have the muscles. You’d snap his neck.”

A former French police officer and combat
trainer with a black belt in jujitsu, Lopez knows
what a real fight looks like. Twenty-seven years
ago he took a detour into ancient fighting
styles. After commissioning working replicas
of gladiator weapons and armor, he spent years
thinking about how they’d be used in a fight to

46 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C

“POLLICE VERSO,” BY JEAN-LÉON GÉRÔME, IAN DAGNALL COMPUTING/ALAMY STOCK (ABOVE); ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF POMPEII, ITALY (TOP)

North

UNITED KINGDOM Hadrian’s Wall Sea

BRITANNIA

HIBERNIA

IRELAND (York) Eboracum Rhine UNl(pNEiaTijmHNe.ogveino)magus G G E R MA N I A
ER M A NY
Gladiatorial Venue Capacity C(Coareinriluemo(nCD)iroIesbcnuacnensoterru)m(DCehveasteCA(rS)atilrlcleehbveLaasitntuedmru)m(CCa(oLmlicnuhcleoosldntue)nr)um
Londinium (London)
ElVetera (Xanten) be

More than 30,000 spectators Isca O Dubris Colonia Agrippinensis (Cologne)
R Durnovaria (Dover) Portus Itius BELG. Bonna (Bonn)
10,000–30,000 Dumnoniorum
N Samarobriva CZECHIA
A T L A N T I C O C E A NFewer than 10,000 (Exeter) (Dorchester) (Amiens) Durocortorum
(Reims) Ludus,
Unknown Augusta Ambianorum Mogontiacum (Mainz)
(PSDoaa(rBi(rnVtiPauotaoyesrnmesitNnu)upexMama(s)mBB()eeLA((oluLndAiolurireilmogedgdtbleeuuoia(gnoTamsgn)unoateuCLoAx(lnusPamid)ael)mgooue)Ai(uionsrJRtusanuinuoeegrumulrd)oiummoseTd(s)bTz(otuP)ooolnaoSunrursiraetiamsgsuV(P))PoSmeeLdéetLsuuriGruonitnugineerucuentAomFeiaarAuuiNgxoR)uerums(LNLtmuaAoî(umgAdsduueuLN(unstLs)uunymnuoGC)Inmr()Ga(EBnrAVeansnueaAsmdS(CAno)Lexçne(iUgimSo(tmmMXuniueo(.eas)sCi)linaD(aoA(iMA)menivvAlv)eiueoeeMtunmdznzgt))uecuid(FcrhFsLiuSuoeotA(rSmWmrsaléa(Oru)tjMgnITurmTVcuaersaG(tZimneG)sroJn.bvettueddPoienognlourriuunionoararCyaiurtgs)u)uems) mraDiaa(ST(nICruihe(AbTAur(eSu)ruIa)AgugPluvzsaoabsbLvtuuBauArrYomggRVgqn))ulaVoiAanivnAliddeeUriariinueaSaiSnlnm(tciVBacCuoTaioiunRmrnrA(R(lumSaVOodS(snmSobISgLocAiCceApaiOnbhiTosn(sarnaoRoVaInconsAt)nkio.aitnaimaaar)l))uinmi)
Caralis Roman provincial capital

Lutetia Major city
(Paris) (Modern name)

Roman main road

MODERN POLITICAL BOUNDARIES (Nantes)
ARE SHOWN IN WHITE.
IA
100 mi Rhône

100 km A

Brigantium Lucus Augusti Veron
(A Coruña) (Lugo)

MAsturica Augusta Florentia Novum
Legio (Pamplona) Narbo Massilia (Florence) ITALIA
(Narbonne) (Marseille)
Bracara Augusta (Astorga) (León) Ebro Cosa
ANDORRA Arelate (Arles) (Aléria) Alalia
(Braga) Clunia
Caesaraugusta Emporiae CORSICA (ROME) ROMA
Portus Cale Salmantica (Zaragoza) (Ampurias)
(Salamanca)
umantia
AConimbriga
PORTUGAL Barcino (Barcelona)
Dertosa Tarraco
HISPANIA Olbia AREA ENLARGED

SPAIN (Tarragona) Tyrrhenian
Scallabis SARDINIA
(Santarém) Tagus Segobriga
Toletum
NOlisipo Saguntum Sea
(Toledo) Valentia (Sagunto) Palma S.
(Lisbon) BALEARIC
Pax Julia Emerita Augusta AUGUSTA (Valencia) I Caralis
(Beja) (Mérida) (Cagliari)
t Panormus
(Cádiz)
V anean Sea (Palermo)

Italica Corduba (Córdoba) e r r Hippo Regius Lilybaeum SICILY
Hispalis (Marsala)
(Seville) MIol(CCehaeercsdhaerelli)a
Malaca Carthago Nova (Annaba) Utica Carthago Agrigentum
Gades (Málaga) (Cartagena) (Carthage) (Agrigento)
(Skikda) Rusicade
Carteia Cartennae Uthina
Cirta
(Constantine)

Tingis Tigava Castra Sitifis Theveste Hadrumetum (Sousse)
(Tangier) (Sétif) (Tébessa) AFRICA Thapsus (Bekalta)
Lixus Rusadir Portus Magnus
(Melilla) (Bettioua) Lambaesis Thamugadi Acholla
Sala VolubilMis (Henchir Botria)
A URETANI A Thysdrus
Gemellae (El Jem) Leptis Magna

Pomaria ALG ERIA

MOROCCO (Tlemcen)

TUNISIA Oea
(Tripoli)

GLORY AND GORE mid-sEemcponirde’cseenxtuternytA, .D. Sabratha

Gladiatorial venues were established in and around cities throughout the
Roman Empire. Purpose-built amphitheaters dot the western provinces,
while in the east older Greek theaters were converted to host bloody combat
and animal displays. All played a prominent role in urban life.

AMPHITHEATER CONSTRUCTION Mostly dug into ground Partially above ground

All amphitheaters followed the same
oval design but used a variety of
building methods and materials. Some
featured hypogea—subterranean
galleries—beneath the arena floor.

ROMA Tibur Alba Fucens Histonium
(Tivoli) Marruvium (Vasto)
(ROME) Grandest stage
Larinum
Frusino siansusminoV) en(Laafrriunmo) The Colosseum, or the Flavian
Ostia (Frosinone) (CCa Luceria Amphitheater, in Rome, was the larg- Volga
Colosseum Albana eii (Lucera) est gladiatorial arena in the empire. SCYTHIA
Many of the smaller amphitheaters in
Antium Aquinum (Venafro) the region were built in settlements IS Don
(Anzio) (Aquino) LATTIeNlAesiBae(Bneenveevnetnutmo) of legionary veterans, or coloniae. S
Compsa R
Capua Dnieper DIOCLET ANA
Mt. Vesuvius
Ty LDOVArrNola
h
mi VIAenPuteoli
i a Nuceria
S n Sea Neapolis
25 ( (Naples) (Nocera)
Pomp Paestum
25 km

Dniester UKRAINE RUSSIA

S L O VA K I A MO Panticapaeum CAUCASUS MTS.
(Kerch)
Carnuntum (Petronell)
CRIMEA

Aquincum DACIA GEORGIA
Tigris
VBHIOS(AHSIEaSoMRUl.Lol.&(iIMNnBnL)uLIauGTMredsAAYaaORSpR(NIiORreSYmTssBit.ijIeu)elimkgnCSr)gEaiURddK(VuKBeOniM)MIomSAus.imitcnoiaalacci)uadmNNiRScAeoaeROsppS(rgtSueomeuiOolaslrmuificdszimuaiMec)sga(AeAtBlTDbuUaDNsaLaHunIGurNIuAol(iRibSloAiasRplovit)pTlIvaoiAAodsrerptiovuore()CSamlsis)vmIiMsishH(AaEtarodcdviri)raninaeo)n(TpoCoopomloinsliisssta(CIBnsţoytaznaa)snntbHatuiPneCul(N()otSrmİhiazneniemcctvoroliaisecptmsoaal)etneo,edpsBiouals)P((AoAlAAmmnmnkpaacaaesysirtorraraapi)cs)olisGkang(SZriianleSoR)(ÇpZeaenleakırA(ıCaS) maaKmeisssuausrnMe)aega(TlTEorrpaaopbSlezisazotunas)laY(P Ph e

N. MACED. Maroneia Perinthus Nicaea (İznik) U (Kayseri)

ALB. Stobi Cyzicus T N O R Melitene
Dyrrhachium VIA EGNATIA Dorylaeum (Malatya)
Prusa M I
(Bursa)
ASIA
(Durrës) Thessalonica Pergamum Antiochia Iconium Anazarbus Cyrrhus Euphrates
Apollonia (Pojan) (Thessaloníki) (Bergama) (Konya)

GREECE

Ambracia
(Árta)
STaarraennttou)mBrundisium Smyrna ASIA Tarsus Antiochia
Aegean(Brindisi) (İzmir)
Tralleis Sagalassos Seleucia Pieria (Antakya) Dura Europos
T( (Samandağ)
Nicopolis Delphi Ephesus Aphrodisias Side SYRIA

Croton (Crotone) e a Miletus Perge Laodicea Raphaneae

Ionian Corinth Athenae Salamis (Homs) Emesa Palmyra
Sea (Athens)
I

ACHAEA Cnidus Rhodus Myra CYPRUS Tripolis IRAQ

Rhegium Sparta Rhodes Heliopolis ATADamascus
(Reggio di Calabria) LEBANON T
Paphos
Catana (Catania)
Tyrus
Syracuse

E Ierápetra Sea ISRAEL Nova Trajana Bostra
CRETE Gortyn (Bosra)
Mediterranean Caesarea
M P I Alexandria Aelia Capitolina Dead Sea
EleutheroJpOoliRs D A N
(Jerusalem) Petra

Gaza

VIA MAR

Pelusium

Ptolemais Cyrene RE
(Shahhat)
SAUDI

Roman highways Memphis SINAI ARABIA
AEGYPTUS
Consummate roadbuilders, Romans
designed extensive thoroughfares

Charax primarily for troop movement and Oxyrhynchus
trade. Gladiators used them to

travel from city to city to perform. Hermopolis Nile R
ed
L I B YA EGYPT Coptos S
(Qift) ea
Ptolemais
(Faiyum) Thebes (Luxor)

Built into natural slope of terrain Freestanding MATTHEW W. CHWASTYK AND TAYLOR
MAGGIACOMO, NGM STAFF. MARTIN VON WYSS
SOURCES: BARRINGTON ATLAS OF THE GREEK
AND ROMAN WORLD; JOHN HANSON,
UNIVERSITY OF READING; SCOTT ORTMAN,
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

FOR EVERY 10 GLADIATORS
WHO ENTERED THE RING, NINE PROBABLY

LIVED TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY.

the death like the ones portrayed in countless fights did not end in death. For every 10 gladi-
movies and books about gladiators. ators who entered the ring, nine probably lived
to fight another day.
But the more he studied gladiator weaponry
and armor, the less sense it made. Loaded CHAPTER
down with shields, metal leg guards and
armguards, and hefty, full-coverage bronze II
helmets, many gladiators carried almost as
much protective gear into the arena as Roman POMPEII, ITALY
soldiers wore into battle. Yet their swords were
typically about a foot long, barely bigger than F O R N E A R LY 6 0 0 Y E A R S , Romans thrilled to
a chef’s knife. “Why,” Lopez asks, “would you gladiatorial fights. They were a favorite subject
bring 20 kilos [45 pounds] of protective gear of Roman artists, re-created in mosaics, fres-
to a knife fight?” coes, marble reliefs, glassware, clay trinkets,
and bronze ornaments found across the Roman
His conclusion: Gladiators weren’t trying to world. Nearly every sizable city and town had an
kill each other; they were trying to keep each arena of its own, with about 300 documented
other alive. They spent years training in order from Britain to the deserts of Jordan.
to stage showy fights, most of which did not
end in death. “It’s a real competition, but not These ancient contests also exert an irresist-
a real fight,” says Lopez, who now runs a glad- ible pull on the modern imagination. Thanks
iator research and reenactment troupe called to countless, often erroneous portrayals in film
ACTA. “There’s no choreography, but there is and literature, gladiators are one of the most
good intent—you’re not my adversary; you’re familiar—and misunderstood—aspects of
my partner. Together we have to make the best Roman culture.
show possible.”
That’s because Roman writers spent surpris-
Over the past two decades, researchers have ingly little time discussing the details of gladia-
unearthed evidence that backs up some of tor games, probably because the games were so
Lopez’s take on gladiator combat and chal- familiar. (How often do you write to your friends
lenges the popular perception of these ancient about what a hit is in baseball, or how many play-
spectacles. A few gladiators were criminals or ers there are on a football team?) To reconstruct
prisoners of war condemned to punishment by the real story of the ring, archaeologists and his-
combat, but most were professional fighters— torians have to find clues in art, at excavations,
the boxers, mixed martial arts fighters, or foot- and by reading between the lines of ancient texts.
ball players of their day. Some had families
waiting for them outside the ring. Like many things about ancient Rome, some of
the best preserved evidence for gladiators comes
Being a gladiator could be lucrative, and was from Pompeii, south of modern-day Naples, Italy.
sometimes a career choice, literary sources sug- Once a thriving city, Pompeii was buried sud-
gest. Brave performances in the arena could denly by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79.
transform gladiators into popular heroes, and
even earn prisoners their freedom. Gladiators Walking the city’s eerily well preserved
probably spent most of their time training or streets today, visitors see reminders of gladia-
in exhibition contests. tor games everywhere. There’s the 22,000-seat

Perhaps most surprising, the majority of

50 N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C