# Did children fight in the gladiatorial games?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-children-fight-in-the-gladiatorial-games/616590>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 23, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-children-fight-in-the-gladiatorial-games/616590 "2012-03-23T12:23:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-children-fight-in-the-gladiatorial-games/616590/21 "2012-03-25T01:02:55Z")

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> [@md2000](#):
>
> Of course, their odds of dying were about the same as anyone else, but they were not expected to display the bloodthirsty savagery of hand-to-hand or firearms combat.

In the army, they were comonly used as drummer boys. Thus a higher chance of dying, since they were marching toward the front.

A common meme in books about that time is that young boys from orphanages were ‘sold’ to army recruiting officers for drummer boys, through bribes paid to the orphanage master.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-children-fight-in-the-gladiatorial-games/616590/22 "2012-03-25T03:53:25Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> They really weren’t “soldiers” as many would look at it. The US Civil war used young boys for drummers, etc, they generally didn’t carry a gun.

True. But there were a few celebrated exceptions, incl. John Clem: [John Clem - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Clem)

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