Where did Gladiators come from? Origins and Rise DOCUMENTARY

[@InvictaHistory]

What aspect of the Arena should we cover next? Thanks again to Cometeer for partnering with me today! Don’t forget to check them out cometeer.com/invicta to find out more about the Future of Coffee.

[@Panoleon]

Were there women gladiators. I think I heard that once, but idk.

[@laki7480]

Animals in the arena perhaps

[@ArchAngel2115]

I would love to see this on chariot races and how it developed from roman empire to the byzantine empire

[@stevenfreiner6508]

@@ArchAngel2115 Azzaro⁰⁰⁰

[@MrDaniel66645]

What about the simulation of naval warfare or the battles against beasts like elephants and tigers?

[@Mr.HotDogShirtGuy]

“You should see the Colosseum, Spaniard. Fifty-thousand Romans... Watching every movement of your sword... Willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike and the noise afterwards. It rises. It rises up... Like a storm… As if… As if you were the thunder god himself.”

[@NobleKorhedron]

Let me guess - Prospero to Maximus, in 'Gladiator'?

[@Mr.HotDogShirtGuy]

@@NobleKorhedron Yes, Proximo, hahahaha

[@istvansipos9940]

and then it was too much for the Spaniard. He gtfo and built an ark instead

[@Galejro]

Yeah and you could also hear "SPANIARD OP PLZ NERF!", "Murmillio noob tank! Kick from the g school!", "LFG Healer for Thracian act!" ... 15:06

[@istvansipos9940]

@@Galejro (a cannonfudder slave dies) PWNED!

[@noahryan8562]

It's honestly kind of comforting to know that ancient people weren't that different from us at the end of the day. They still debated sports matches, nerded out about different fighters and what weapon types were superior, and sold relics of athletes for profit.

[@deusvult6920]

Yes it's because it's a tried and true way to keep the masses placated. Think about how pissed everyone is at politicians but as long as they get their circuses (gladiator fights, NFL games, whatever) they won't rise up

[@noahryan8562]

@@deusvult6920 Quite true my dude

[@musicwarrior7630]

If you look at history for civilization and humanity not much has changed in the grand scheme. Technology and policy was simply refined for the most part. Don't get me wrong theirs plenty of new things but the basics haven't changed much from the ancient world but we're simply refined. And we'll all politicians are scum regardless of your political view.

[@alejandrorivas4585]

I think that my first year history prof said it best. The past was not a less evolved man doin his best. The past was a different country. Full of humans just like you, just as human.

[@johnwick535]

@@deusvult6920 it's too bad they seem to have forgotten the bread part of that equation.

[@giacomoromano8842]

I remember going to Pompei, in the south of Italy, and admiring the ancient graffitis on a wall, as the guide explained their significance, and then going: "Oh look! Here, there is a gladiator with a huge fish in his hand!" It turned out, that was NOT a fish.

[@psychokinrazalon]

What was in their hand?

[@Fadlankhs]

was it the male genitalia ?

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

If it wasn't a fish, then what was it?

[@gaboh296]

The magical spitting fish

[@luciferhuey6285]

@@gaboh296 sounds like something you would catch in tererria

[@papachocolate1677]

Imagine being a gladiator and getting nerfed because people thought you were too good at your job.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

"Wait, Marcus! You lazy slave! Did you forget to attach all the hooks to my net?" "Oh, sorry, boss. As of patch 2.0.5b they've reduced the number of hooks by 70%. Retiarii have been winning 52-60% of matches against all other types in the past quarter."

[@alisenoweirddudo6898]

Certified bruh moment

[@HaloFTW55]

Luccius is too OP, nerf plz

[@ancientsitesgirl]

During my last trips to Greece and Turkey, visiting ancient theaters, I learned that almost ALL were used as an arena for gladiator fights... even the oldest theatre of Dionysus in Athens!!! Naughty Romans... 😮

[@marcmarc7454]

Nice video from Side! pleasant, relaxing, lots of information, as always 😉

[@ancientsitesgirl]

@@swissmilitischristilxxii3691 I work hard, only on weekends I have time to edit. What I earn I spend on my travels... it is not easy but it gives me a lot of satisfaction!

[@marcbartuschka6372]

But you are aware that the Romans who watched the games in Greece and Turkey and so on were mostly locals? Many of them were truly Romans (since a Roman was anyone who has citizenship, it does not matter much where you were born), but their ancestors in most cases had always lived there. Of course in the outer colonies many visitors were soliers, but even there I guess the locals very soon learn to like the games.

[@marcmarc7454]

@@marcbartuschka6372 in Greece and Turkey at that time, they were generally all Greek

[@marcbartuschka6372]

@@marcmarc7454 For modern Turkey I doubt this. I know that there were Greek cities on the coast, but many of the people further away from it surely had not only greek origin. Of course it depends on the region. And I think, for the Roman Empire the main question is if you have Roman citizenship. Which a lot of people in the provinces got over the time.

[@photinodecay]

Funerary games were also present among the Celts and the Greeks and I think maybe even the Hittites, so the concept probably had an origin deep in the earlier Indo-European cultures.

[@JC-qz3jj]

At the least the Myceneans were practicing Funeral games.

[@slee4653]

Why did the public enjoy watching gladiator fights? Because they lived miserable lives. And watching others suffer and look more miserable than them made them feel better.

[@photinodecay]

​@@slee4653 You might as well say that they liked gladiator fights because they thought blockchain was the road to freedom. Total non sequitur.

[@damianlogan8538]

@@slee4653 Great point

[@photinodecay]

@@damianlogan8538 it's an irrelevant point. Funerary games were not originally public, nor was there much suffering, except in Christian propaganda that has been shown to be contradictory to the archaeological record.

[@LakierosJordy]

As a developer of a gladiator game this can't be more appropriately timed!

[@NayrAnur]

We will watch your career with great interest.

[@magnemerstrand2289]

I can’t wait to play your game! I have it on my wishlist on steam. Happy yo see you here, you should see Lindybeiges video on gladiators, it’s long but great!

[@spiffygonzales5899]

So like... What's the name of the game?

[@JC-qz3jj]

Yo drop the name! :D

[@LakierosJordy]

@@magnemerstrand2289 Ive seen it for sure, its fantastic!

[@raptor454369]

I love how the scenes of the gladiator school looks like the one in Spartacus: Blood and Sand!

[@TrevieTrev]

That series is excellent R.I.P Andy Whitfield 🙏🏾

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

First 2 seasons were phenomenal. Too bad that 3 and 4 kinda sucked

[@crodd92]

17:41 "Brass knuckle weilding Cestus" sounds awesome and I would love to learn more about them.

[@chavamara]

And this is why Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death, is the best film depiction of gladiators. Thank you for this, it was refreshing to hear so many of the misconceptions about gladiators cleared up on your channel! Do we know anything about whether the "infamus" status was enforced on the young nobles, if so many signed up?

[@Vanic00]

I really liked that you used the same building design for the Ludus that was used in Spartacus. Really made me happy.

[@megawackoking]

Gladiator games are one of my favorite topics from portrayal in games, books, movies and even LARPing. Thank you so much for a more focused take on the subject.

[@hazey9514]

I went to Rome and of course the collesso itself was shell shocked learning about the naval battles they held in the arena and would love to see a video covering the topic

[@alexandrasimon7191]

Amazing video! I thought I'd read so much about gladiators, yet I didn't know anything about their actual origins! So glad to have watched this

[@allonzehe9135]

How They Did It is the best series on KZbin.

[@nicktheeskrimador1486]

I'm partial to Units of History, but it's from the same channel!

[@allonzehe9135]

@@nicktheeskrimador1486 I love that one too. I find history vids on military topics are a bit more plentiful which is why I love the non-military stuff even more. But if you know some great channels I should be checking out for vids on the non-military stuff I'd love some recommendations. I don't hate the military stuff, it's just so plentiful that I'm extra happy when it's a non-martial topic.

[@nicktheeskrimador1486]

@@allonzehe9135 I'm afraid all the channels I know are pretty popular already, so you've probably heard of 'em. I'm like a reverse hipster. Tasting History and Kings and Generals are probably my two favorite historical KZbins outside of this one, though! For your purposes, I'd absolutely recommend Tasting History - he's not only got some great recipes that frankly I'll only ever dream about using, he also shares a whole lot of information surrounding them and the time periods in which they were popular!

[@allonzehe9135]

@@nicktheeskrimador1486 Then I'm happy to give you some more hipster ones to check out and see if you like them. Optimus Minimus The Histocrat The Pharaoh Nerd History with Cy Invicta Toldinstone Filaxim Historia Imperium Romanum Dan Davis History HomeTeam History Epimetheus History With Hilbert The History Behind Everything Ancient History Guy Voices of the Past David Ian Howe Voices of Ancient Egypt History Time Historia Civilis and Linfamy if you like Japanses history too.

[@nicktheeskrimador1486]

@@allonzehe9135 I appreciate it! Looking forward to listening to and watching these!

[@EggnogTheNog]

This is the most informative presentation on this subject I’ve seen since I went on holiday to France and visited the amphitheatre in Nimes. If you ever get the chance, visit and make sure to get an audio guide.

[@jayuno3009]

Awesome job on the video! I’d love to see an entire video devoted to Commodus’ gladiatorial career.

[@QuintinHaarhoff]

Really well presented mate

[@johntheknight3062]

It makes sense that gladiators would not fight to the death every time. Imagine training your men for years, feeding them, housing them, giving them all the pleasures they need and then they just die in the arena without any compensation. Nobody would do that.

[@kajamatousek247]

It was more like the organizer would have to pay the owner of the gladiator like x50 the usual renting fee if he died so the motivation to keep them alive was on that side

[@johntheknight3062]

@@kajamatousek247 Exactly, not profitable for anybody if they just die.

[@MrAsaqe]

Unless you are a particularly petty tyrant who wanted family/friends to kill one another out of sick pleasure like how some fiction has the villain forced loved ones to kill loved ones in arena combat

[@cristhianramirez6939]

Yes you understood,you are truly a genius

[@kingwithoutakingdom]

15:17 This made me chuckle after just hearing someone else crying about horses and thralls and water combat in conan exiles yesterday.

[@Quallenkrauler]

As I said in your community post about what we would like to see, I'm interested in the POV of a sponsor of the games. How they would go about it, who they had to employ and what decisions would have to be made. And a word about the Cometeer sponsorship: I know you need the money, but making your own filter coffee is not exactly hard or time consuming. I can't comment on the quality of the product, but this process seems like it produces a lot of unnecessary waste. I'm sure a channel of your size has enough companies willing to sponsor you that don't do that. And judging from the other comments, I don't seem to be the only one who thinks so.

[@westrim]

If the only object is avoiding waste, there are a dozen juicier targets in the coffee space than a company that it was stated ships their product in all-recyclable packaging (specifically, aluminum and kraft paper, according to the website) and requires no equipment from the end user (read: is using economies of scale). Spend that energy on styrofoam and waxed cups, or Kuerig machines and capsules.

[@-RONNIE]

Really interesting video 👍🏻 thanks

[@alexcoates9095]

Great video loved it keep up the great work

[@JC-qz3jj]

Awesome video :D Would love to see you cover more of what the Romans imported from the Etruscans as so much is still mislabeled as Roman inventions.

[@marcusviniciusmagalhaesdea3779]

Aqueducts for instance

[@JC-qz3jj]

@@marcusviniciusmagalhaesdea3779 Had an argument at a pub quizz over Aqueducts XD

[@JC-qz3jj]

@@swissmilitischristilxxii3691 It's earlier than that, we know Myceneans where practicing funeral games.

[@cristhianramirez6939]

The romans made it better

[@JC-qz3jj]

@@cristhianramirez6939 That's why we love them :D

[@loods2215]

Loved this video! Maybe you could make a Series on Spartacus like you did with Harald Hardrada💯 That' be very interesting! Anyway keep this up I love everything you upload 💪

[@chrisnewhard5863]

I like the comparison to our modern-day WWE, but there's definitely some elements of MMA in the way different martial artists with their own cults of personality around them and their art. WWE matches might draw upon a similar theatrical aspect from gladiator games, but MMA draws upon a similar propensity for violence.

[@udozocklein6023]

"the arts of mars" are about violence? oh well

[@dakromis]

How did they get those triremes and such TO the arenas? I understand that the arena was flooded to accommodate the ships, but how did they get from port to arena? Did they just construct the ships at the arena or were there canals that facilitated this?

[@Quallenkrauler]

My guess is that they were constructed on site. The Colosseum is quite a bit away from the Tiber and they probably didn't have to meet the standards of actual warships, so they were quicker to build. The Romans might have loved their games, but not to the point of building a huge canal right through their city center just for the odd mock sea battle.

[@everythingsalright1121]

I think theyd need to be built on site given that there isnt really a way those things would fit through the doors and elevators

[@Quallenkrauler]

@@everythingsalright1121 Oh yeah, that too. Didn't think about that but that's even more of a problem.

[@cristhianramirez6939]

Replicas of smaller size

[@guyguy7953]

Incredible segue into that ad!

[@abid5087]

My favorite part of this video was the end where you talked about the reality of gladiators vs common conceptions of then

[@ElDiabloGringo]

Fresh video straight out the oven! ☺️☺️

[@schroedingersdog7965]

Excellent and fascinating! Ave, Invicta; morituri te salutamus!

[@someonethatdefonitelyexists]

I live very close to the ruins of an amphitheater. And gladiator events are held there every july

[@GallowglassAxe]

Great video as always. I always wonder about the effectiveness of the retiarius. I know many accounts saying how OP they were in the colosseum but when you see modern sparring of them they're not that OP and in some cases not very good at all. Now maybe with a lot of dedicated training they would become very formidable but its hard to know the full potential.

[@summerwell8262]

Great vid. Could you do about how the different were the gladiatorial shows in different parts of the empire like in Brittania or Gaul?

[@sathancat]

I really like the animation in this particular video!

[@siafufu]

fantastic work, thank you.

[@Hazyg503]

Good stuff

[@williamladine7591]

Very glad to hear that most bouts ended with the losing side being spared, with that piece of knowledge I understand why these events were so popular.

[@claireconolly8355]

Such great content thank you so much

[@Latinkon]

14:05 This part could have been a perfect transition if the video was sponsored by _Expeditions: Rome_ 🤔

[@zeusnitch]

Wait, I'm a bit unclear on the advertisement subject at 0:44 ; is Cometeer made with ground-up ancient gladiators? Or is it infused with their blood/sweat/tears? ...and have those bodily excretions been properly documented? I'm just saying I'd prefer my virility the old-fashioned way instead of entrusting it to some company whose main goal is [profit for the shareholders,] as opposed to delivering that sweet sweet gladiator sweat

[@revengeoftheromansorceress]

I can say doing gladiator fencing. It was pretty intense! I was winded after a few minutes, shoulders were on fire. You have to balance cardio and weightlifting. Reading/Videos is vastly different experiencing itself.

[@brokenbridge6316]

So a lot of people had a lot of different views on this famous Roman event. Great video.

[@craigleewhite6317]

Sir/ Madam. You mentioned diet. Enough for Galdiators to get by on. Can we assume that the equivalent of the Galdiator will now be The Marines. Training the body is great now! was there something then which has been lost today we can again incorporate for greater chances of being kept alive by the now similar class systems of rich and poor? Can you elaborate on the love lives of Gladiators again those types of Women;)× where or how? that worked, that's useful. Overall that's terrific documentary. I enjoy seeing, having taken note the learnings. Thank you for the generosity of your knowledges. From Craig. UK.

[@basfinnis]

Interesting stuff. Thanks.

[@TheSaneHatter]

"Chaser," indeed: the film, "Monty Python's Life of Brian," depicts a Secutor/Retiarius matchup to highly comic effect, based on precisely that joke.

[@rozeautopet]

love the spartacus ludus remake!! Watched that show so many times I easily recognise it haha

[@alejandrosakai1744]

They were also Female Gladiators known as Gladiatrix, they existed during the times of Emperor Nero until they were banned by the Emperor Septimius Severus

[@KLR_BAN]

Oooo🤤sweaty Gladiatrix💍❤️

[@marseldagistani1989]

Because they were glorified catfights And as time went on it was of poor taste. And they were simply side shows

[@londonmason6129]

@@marseldagistani1989actually Galdiatrix were often advertised as the main event, because in a time where women had little rights, such a thing was exotic and shocking, although from past to present there has always been warrior women such as Boudica, Joan of Arc, Lakshmi Bai, the trung sisters, etc; some successful, some not

[@jpg1945]

GREAT VIDEO!!

[@deanjames6167]

Please change the artwork, like the old good days Sincerely, an invicta fan

[@deirdregibbons5609]

Great segment! I really liked the animations of Beverly's illustrations.

[@robbabcock_]

Wonderful, fascinating stuff! ⚔🏹👍

[@lucymiller6616]

Video doesn't actually start until 2:00

[@truckwarrior5944]

Free men who joined the ludus were never seen as equal to slave gladiators. Thats just not true. They were even seperated while in the ludus. Juvenal gave a quite detailed discription on how clearly seperated they are. But you misunderstood infamia as well, it was not giving up all your civil rights, just some. You mentioned the loss of quite a lot that I've never heared of in combination with infamia, even though I just had a lecture on that topic at university.

[@InvictaHistory]

Thanks for the clarifications, these are very helpful

[@cristhianramirez6939]

No

[@boneman137]

Are you not entertained?!

[@thegreatiam8600]

The way you mixed the coffe product in there was pretty good lol

[@densonsmith2]

Are there any accurate modern reenactors?

[@TheScarletKing1476]

PLEASE GIVE US MORE VIDEOS ON THE ARENA AND ITS GAME THIS IS SO INTERESTING!!!

[@1998topornik]

It is crazy to think how much spectators of gladiatior's fights were similar to modern day counterparts.

[@jonbaxter2254]

I would have loved to see it in its heyday. All of these different races and people from all over the wrold, kitted out in their finest gear fighting to see who is the greatest. Must have been amazing seeing a berber of briton or dacian fight if you only ever lived in Rome

[@amirhaziq7458]

He invicta, maybe do history about britons, irish and scots and also story about what happened after the death of william wallace

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

"I am commander Invicta Aurelius, KZbinr of the armies of the north, father of a murdered channel...husband of a murdered Baz Battles..."

[@MCorpReview]

V who r about to watch salute u!

[@LGP82]

@1:50. Nice Warhammer stuff. :)

[@samdumaquis2033]

Very interesting, especially the fact that they could be big m'en giving one another shallow wounds

[@HellenicWolf]

well done

[@peytongonavy]

Can you mention the bathrooms and the xylospongium?

[@thegreenmage6956]

Mm, not ONE mention that the word Gladiator comes from the Celtic word for Sword, *Cladivos, or Cladios. This came into Latin when the Romans started using the Celtic Cladios sword in Spain, replacing their previous Greek style Xiphos sword (the leaf-shaped blade). You can still hear the word in modern terms, like Cleave, Clefft, Claymore, and Glaive.

[@jamesowens7148]

Isn't putting my own coffee in a cup and adding hot water faster and generating less waste? What if this coffee cube melts in transit?

[@udozocklein6023]

don't think about it too much - the concept of what invicta advertised is litterally for dumb people.

[@socialist-strong]

That coffee idea is just, instant coffee that needs refrigeration. Great, you reinvented the wheel by making it square. So innovative!

[@keithagn]

Coffee, instant, type 2

[@ComfyGuy99]

@@keithagn I see you're also a man of culture.

[@jerrodschmidt6028]

Many ancient people's warriors had strong man builds. The hoplites also had a layer of fat to help make strikes less fatal. I could imagine as a gladiator or a soldier back then how heavy that armour and weaponry gets in a prolonged fight.

[@greenpeen2870]

That's a myth, no amount of fat is going to make getting stabbed or sliced any easier. Gladiators were lean and mean.

[@interitus1152]

hey could you do octavian vs mark antony?

[@satellite2696]

What? Murmillo where heavy armored? Like that one sleeve and a shield?

[@truckwarrior5944]

In comparison to other gladiators the scutum, boetian helmet, mancia and ocrea is quite armoured.

[@squidwardart]

Maybe a video similar to carthaginian one, with stories about 2 possible gladiators, one captured, one was sent to ludus since childhood, or something along this lines, I'll enjoy any video you make though, amazing work guys.

[@johnleach8553]

very cool - body type was something new - shallow wounds, bleed but not damage muscle makes sense

[@Will-yy7cg]

A capacity of 50,000 would make the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater of the ancient world, something like the 95th largest college football stadium

[@cristhianramirez6939]

But i bet you could see the match from all sides

[@Lassisvulgaris]

Thank you. Good one. Maybe point out the "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" myth. "Thumbs up" meant "kill", as it represented a drawn sword, while "thumb inside closed fist", represented sheathed sword, and meant "let live". Both Metatron and Lindybeige have good information on the subject.....

[@Lassisvulgaris]

Thanks. Someone gave me a "thumb up".....

[@monadsingleton9324]

*I want a follow-up on the **_naumachia,_** the sea-battles alluded to in this video. Then, a video on the **_gladiatrices,_** the female gladiators.*

[@EggnogTheNog]

Seconded!

[@ingydegmar2060]

Did discoveries in the arena led to changes for the roman army?

[@peanutwars]

I would love you to cover different types of arenas and terrains if that’s a thing and different animals and weapons and gladiators used or stories of gladiatorial battles or maybe actually tell me what Spartacus did in the arena like do we know his record at all ? I always hear he’s the greatest gladiator but there’s no accounts of him in the arena I can find ..which makes sense too he rebelled lol

[@azkamil]

Are there any records of professional soldiers tired of repeating "Gladiators in Arena is not a real military fight", because armchair generals wouldn't stop sharing their knowledge based on Arena fights.

[@philly83]

It would be nice to see an in depth video of naval gladiator games

[@ILikeGuns1992]

So which weapons and equipmets were considered too OP? :D Would love if you go into more details.

[@zakkart]

So you're telling me, Gladiators were ABSOLUTE UNITS?!

[@ubemakai275]

Do a Spartacus series

[@DerFanable]

3:48 Just noticed the six fingers on the guys hand

[@monegal1]

You could make one about naumachias, beginning with Caesar then Augustus and the colosseum ones

[@legateelizabeth]

One assumes after yelling to 'finish him', the crowd would yell 'fatality' for a good show of ending the opponent.

[@istvansipos9940]

and if there is an Aussie in the crowd, he would shout "m0rTaL W0mBaT"

[@felixccaa]

there is on way it will ever be ok to use or poromote capsuled coffe - Your videos are great, though

[@comraderoman4299]

We who are about to die salute you!

[@declangallagher1448]

If Kitchen Nightmares has taught me anything Fresh Frozen is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from fresh.

[@stevicakurcubic116]

Yeeeah man, more of Roman lives and history cheers

[@avisfuriosa2189]

Great video 🤘 Except for one thing. Gladiators weren't fat. I don't know if you've ever seen what sort of calories an athlete who trains all day (and they did, and it's intense training) burns, but it's huge amounts. These guys (and the occasional gal) may not have been bodybuilder style defined, but they certainly didn't carry around much extra weight.

[@kevaughnmerrill6534]

Tbf he didn't say fat. He said "big men with a layer of fat" while showing a picture of The Mountain, who isn't fat. I just heard it as they were more like football players vs Hollywood superheroes.

[@avisfuriosa2189]

@@kevaughnmerrill6534 Fair point. I guess it's just that the trope of the Sumo type gladiator has been haunting the reenactment groups for a while despite the evidence 😅 You can basically assume that the depictions that exist are pretty realistic.

[@juliogarcia4757]

Why is Robbie Lawler dressed as a gladiator in the thumbnail 😂

[@dejablue5746]

I read that vivisection was covertly done on dying gladiators since using cadavors was illegal. Is this true?

[@gustavosabbag5559]

Please tell the story of some gladiators or recreate some typical gladiator fights based in historical sources for us to have a better look on how the fights used to happen, what was it’s dynamics. It’s not that easy to imagine, I would appreciate very much some details of real life battles

[@sean668]

Absolutely fascinating that into the Republican era gladiator games were still nominally held as funeral rites. I wonder who was the first sponsor to think of another "occasion"

[@eelchiong6709]

Good thing the Democrats have yet to show up for another 1700 years. 😂

[@cristhianramirez6939]

It was Trump

[@REZA-tl5kr]

3:02 rena means sand in some italian dialects like tuscanian and neapolitan

[@Sergio44487]

I can imagine something like "please, nerf the Murmillo stats in the next patch, is very op right now"

[@silvertongue.242_99]

I actually would have wanted to see these match up sounds cool. Not so much ppl had to die some though maybe, sound sick as hell