Did children fight in the gladiatorial games?

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

@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.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@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