How did gladiators/assyrians kill large predators in single combat?

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As an Assyrian king, you wouldn't defend yourself against animals. That would be the job of your bodyguard and entourage. You'd be out to entertain yourself, by killing them (the wild animals; not your entourage). You would be standing in a chariot, armed with a bow, shooting at animals from a safe distance. If your first shots didn't kill the animal, you order your driver to move a bit further away - if he hadn't done that already. It was a sport, sometimes a dangerous sport. Kings (not necessarily just Assyrian kings) are known to get seriously injured or died during those hunts.

Roman gladiators didn't fight wild animals. They fought each other. What you are looking for are bestiarii. They were specially trained to fight wild animals. In the social scale of things, distinctly a rung or two below gladiators.

Doesn't want to say gladiators didn't kill animals now and then, but it wasn't what they were trained for.

A bestiarius was. The job was pretty dangerous, but the bestiarius had a clear advantage over whatever kind of animal he had to face: he was trained for the job, knew (most of the time) how certain animals would react, and was properly armed to do the job well. Accidents did happen, of course.

A bestiarius was a trained specialist. Not a man condemned to death by wild animals. Don't underestimate what one can do with just a spear.

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