Gladiatorial events replaced Munera events

It is believed that Munera events are a precursor to gladiator events, gladiatorial events replaced Munera events. The events of Munera began in 264 BC when two sons of a nobleman named Brutus staged a war in the marketplace in memory of their father's death. Similar events followed, with slaves acting as combatants. One such battle took place in 174 BC, in which 74 fighters broke records in a three-day period. The Munera Glass evolved into events known as "venatio", where wild and exotic animals were fought by a different type of gladiator known as "venatores". Each "venatore" will be equipped with a weapon specifically designed for hunting. Venatio battles are separate from gladiator events and involve the hunting and killing of exotic animals such as tigers, lions, and rare birds for the entertainment of the masses.

As the Roman Empire grew, enthusiasm for such events grew, and gladiatorial events replaced Munera events. The elite would hold such events on a smaller scale at parties, and they became as popular as funerals. Not all citizens enjoyed the bloodthirsty nature of these events. During an incident that occurred during Tiberius' reign, some townspeople stopped a funeral in protest, and Tiberius was forced to call in the army to quell the unrest. This becomes an interesting fact about gladiators in the Roman Empire.