Ancient Roman Historian Breaks Down Gladiator Movie | Deep Dives
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- Historian and host of 'The Ancients' podcast, Tristan Hughes, dives deep into the historical accuracy of Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator'. The battle over the film's accuracy has been waged since its release. Tristan unpicks what Gladiator gets right and what it gets very wrong.
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00:00 Introduction
00:35 First Battle
07:41 Maximus and Marcus Aurelius
10:36 Commodus Arrives in Rome
14:08 Slavery in Roman Empire
17:11 Gladiators Enter Rome
19:47 Colosseum Battle: Carthage
25:54 Maximus Reveals His Identity
29:01 Maximus vs The Veteran
34:07 Final Fight: Maximus vs Commodus
40:49 Conclusion
#historyhit #moviereview #ancientrome
This dude is great. He knows his stuff and doesn't get hung up in every little thing that's out of place. He calls it out when necessary, tells his opinion on why they did what they did all the while giving great info. If he isn't/wasn't a teacher he should be. This is the type of engaging teaching we need in today's schools to keep kids interested.
i find it hard to believe this man is ~2000 years old.
wait, so this guy isn't even legit?!
😂😂
I checked on internet, he is indeed 2000+ year old.
Doesn't look ancient and not even speaking Latin...fraud...
Was totally expecting him to have on a toga. Was a little bit disappointed.
All respect to Tristan that he can just look at the busts & recognise who they are 👏🏼
All I am saying that this movie is in effect a copy of the earlier movie, just with better SFX.
but strangely, he didn't notice that the busts were supposed to be painted
It’s quite common for all of us nerds who have gone through Classics in Uni
Tbh it's not that he recognizes the people by their likeness, but rathe he recognizes the works, like, for example, the monalisa is such a well known painting most people will recognize it, but they would never know it's the painting model sitting right next to them if she would be alive to do so. For someone who's really into the subject of roman history and archeology, those busts are very well known. It's a bit like if you see a pyramid you'll link it to ancient egypt, but if you're a bit more into the subject you can tell at a glance when it's Khufu's or Khafre's pyramid.
That was the whole point of the busts… and they were supposed to be coloured too.
"How accurate is it?"
Not very. But it was still entertaining.
That could sum up most historical films
Except for the recent Napoleon… it wasn’t accurate and it wasn’t entertaining
I was entertained 😏
@ericlytle2209 agreed, I thought the depiction of Waterloo was risible. I've heard it described as visceral, well you could film a version of Agincourt using machine guns instead of arrows. That would be visceral too but it would also be ridiculous
I hope you get the thrill of real combat one day. @@davidsullivan7743
It is utterly and entirely your fault that I now have to revisit Gladiator and the evening will end in tears. As someone else said, historical bollocks, but sheer movie bliss. 🙄
One of the few movies that makes me cry at the end. It is just so good.
"Honor him"
*music plays*
Me: starts bowling my eyes out.
Yes, i feel you.
Even moreso if you know that the legendary Oliver Reed died during the making of this movie.
It's Oliver Reed numb nuts.
@@Pendragon667 *OLIVER* REED!
@@MaxHohenstaufen You're right.
Dunno what went through my head in that moment. Edited my comment.
Thank you sincerely for your kind, subtle notice
It's refreshing to see a historian see historic movies for what they are, entertainment and are a gateway to learning about actual history. It's a shame some UA-cam Historians don't have the same outlook.
I totally agree. If a movie claims to be a historic movie and then gets everything wrong - go bash on it as much as you want. But while The Gladiator is inspired by real people and history it never hides the fact that it is still a fictional movie. I don't mind pointing them out and learning about actual history that way, but hating on the historical inaccuracies of such movies makes about as much sense as mocking a kid who's wearing shoes with his Halloween centurion costume for not wearing sandals.
Idiocy. There is zero reason not to keep it accurate. It does not in any way detract from what makes a movie great.
@@jacobwalsh1888 Okay pal. You go out there and make a 100% historical film that grosses as much as Gladiator and Braveheart.
@@jacobwalsh1888There are near infinite reasons why screenwriters, playwriters and other writers would take inspiration from real events and turn it into fiction. If you want accurate we have documentaries.
@@jacobwalsh1888There are near-infinite reasons why an author would want to capture a moment from history and put their own fictional spin on it. For accurate depiction we have high-quality documentaries. And while I would love to see movies like that as historically accurate as possible, there's another reason why filmmakers decide to go this route instead. If you ever find yourself having $100M+ you'd like to invest in a movie and not care how big of a loss it will net you, please, go ahead and make a historically accurate movie. I'll be the first to go watch it.
I love it when the movie first shows Roma, Hans Zimmer just goes full Wagner.
I
would
like
to
point
out
that
having
a
deep
frozen
woman’s
bandage
that
was
litteraly
drenched
with
her
smelly
blood
before
putting
it
in
the
freezer
as
a
snack
on
a
hot
and
sunny
day
might
be
refreshing
but
is
nothing
else
than
downright
disgusting.
It's composed like an opera....! 🎶🎶🎶
Would 100% recommend Tristan’s podcast “the ancients” I listen to it nearly every night before I go to sleep. Interviews incredible historians on some of the most fascinating times of the ancient world such as Greece, Rome, Egypt etc. - great video HH. Gladiator although inaccurate is my favourite movie.
There was a movie made in 1964 called "The fall of the Roman Empire" which has the same Plot and story line as in this picture, Stars Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Christopher Plummer,
Love Christopher Plummer. He was great in The Scarlet & The Black.
Certainly was,a cracking film.
Johnchristie823,that's my all time fave film.And the best Roman epic ever made@@khutchinsoncpa1
Yes I remember that movie! It was made at around the same time as Cleopatra.
@@yvonneplant9434 Cleo in 1963.
FOTRE in 1964.
Welp time to fire up Rome Total War II
I'm .ore into Caesar III. Different pace, vibe, style, but rome at its core.
An entertaining movie, just don't mistake it for history. Same goes for movies like "Braveheart", or, "The Last Samurai".
The modernization of Japan and how the Samurai couldn’t carry their swords openly in public was real history though. Great story though.
and Kingdom of Heaven. Ridley Scott is renowned for destroying history. Recently he did it in Napoleon
Kingdom of heaven is still a great movie@@victorpulis5113
Or U-501.
@@tamiwatchesstuffI mean all of these movies do have a couple of things that hold true to history. I think they mean more as in a general sense of how events unfolded and how things might have been like. Even Midway which is quite accurate will still have a bunch of Hollywood drama added to it. Or the Chernobyl series with their mutant, radiation-spreading firemen and the self-sacrificing babies which is just nonsense. I guess they just can't help themselves to add a few overly dramatic scenes even in stuff that's supposed to depict actual historic events (Gladiator never makes a claim that it wanted to be a historic movie).
I have heard many people say that Gladiator was to fake because, they thought, it was unrealistic to believe a Roman Emperor would ever enter the Arena. But history can be stranger than truth. Commodus actually did do so and not once but many times.
18:30 - this appears to be the Ludus Magnus, a barracks and gladiator school that was indeed right next to the Coliseum, it’s ruins are visible until today
Thank you, I was hoping someone else noticed that too.
Yeah, it's strange he doesn't know that. I remember when I visited the Colosseum I was shown the underground tunnel that used to connect to the school so they could funnel the gladiator's straight into the bottom.
@@geoffj1It’s entirely possible it’s just something he didn’t read up on or his knowledge of it is limited. Historians know a lot, but they can get some things wrong from time to time. Happens to all of us 🙂
@@dawsynasay4841True! it definitely happens to me all the time! 😄
@@dawsynasay4841he did say at the start that he's primarily focused on Hellenistic history, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's more "broad strokes" on Roman history, especially in the post-republican era. Still super knowledgeable, but small stuff like sub-buildings may just be forgotten or even not heard of.
As a historical document, Gladiator is bollocks, but as entertainment it's great.
So it's James Clavell's Shogun, but for Western Culture. Gotcha.
I love Ancient Roman history, and I love Gladiator. I would never confuse the two.
Absolute bollox
It was as historically inaccurate as Braveheart, though Braveheart seems to get all of the hate by so-called "purists." Many parts of the narrative of Gladiator was actually inspired from Braveheart. People should leave historic accuracy at the door and just be _entertained._
@@PhantomFilmAustralia I agree to an extent. At least it has some historical authenticity instead of accuracy. The character Maximus is essentially a plot device to see Western Rome at the apex magnum opus of its power through his eyes, military, socially and politically during the 1st century A.D. Where "Braveheart" was not even remotely authentic in its time period at all...
As violent as the games were, the marine battle re-enactments must have been a spectacular sight to see, indeed.
I’m not an engineer but what I wouldn’t give to be able to examine that plumbing system, or what’s left of it.
The unmade sequel script by singer Nick Cave had a huge set-piece scene involving that, with mock ships in a colloseum full of water, and dozens of gladiators fighting hundreds of crocodiles.
@@OlympicLeprechaun nothing's left of it. The evidence available is historical, not archeological.
Marcus Aurelius was a stoicist and hated to get up in the morning. I thought that was interesting, seeing some relatable humanity in a usually distant historical figure. Also, one of my favorite movie quotes is when the old gladiator is killed by the soldiers, clutching his wooden sword. He says, "Shadows and dust."
Marcus Aurelius philosophy has definitely improved my mental health
I have the book, haven't had a chance to read it yet.
@@ericsvendsen1880 loads of short and long youtube videos breaking down many stoic principles and how to put into practice , check em out
I have wanted to delve into stoicism but I often find myself in lack of the mental power to do so.
I could watch a 100 episodes in this series!! More Deep Dives on historical movies!
I could watch this whole movie with this guy doing like a DVD commentary, alongside every single scene! Incredible information!
Thank you! One of my favorite movies of all time.
A great epic movie it had loads of fighting in it and plenty grisly bits . Russell Crowe played a good part
Love the HH podcast and this movie is a top 3 for me. When he tell Comidus his name no matter how many times I hear is my favorite scene.
Did you mean Commodus?
@@monikagrosch9632 yes me and my fat fingers. Love the scene regardless of my inability to spell.
Wow, i only just realized that Mf doom's mask is identical to the gladiator's 🤯🤯🤯
I think it's the other way around MF DOOM was around first and no way the gladiator was pulling the doctor doom look 😂
Strength and Honor!
This is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen on UA-cam. Thank you so much.
Chill
I'm surprised that when he started talking about chariot racing, that he didn't reveal that it was much more popular than gladiator fights - the _Circus Maximus_ held *significantly more* spectators than the biggest _amphitheater_ (the Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum- as we know it, now)- the races were **the** Roman obsession...
Therenwere more seats available because of the construction style in the circus, given that it takes a long building for the chariots to race within. It does not serve as evidence that it was more popular. By that standar you could assume F1 is more popular than (not american) football because more people can fit around a F1 track than inside of a stadium, but that is ultimately incorrect.
One tidbit I always found fun about the opening battle sequence: at 4:48 when Russel Crowe is turning to stab some dude in the thick of the battle and it turns out to be a Roman soldier, apparently that was an extra who was legitimately afraid of ruining the sequence for a moment telling Crowe “wait! I’m not supposed to die yet!” because he was so focused on hitting his mark right. So that’s why Crowe gives that huge grin before turning away again. I don’t remember where I heard this, so it could be totally wrong, but I just think it’s a fun little unscripted moment in a wonderful movie.
This guy knows who’s busts are in that tent that’s a new level of impressive
I could name them too, so I'd expect an ancient Roman historian to be able to :P
@@xergiok2322 Also impressive. Do you know who the rest are?
@@noahs9866 Far left is Gaius Julius Caesar, right of the tent opening is Augustus, on the right of him is Antonius Pius 9:06
He recognizes the busts, not the people they represent, so not that big of a deal.
Fantastic video!
Great commentary.I love how Mr. Hughes understands the value of entertainment & how it can lead some down the road to learn the history behind the movie & develop a love of history.
Really enjoyed the insight! I love how much of keen bean you are Tristian! Proper knowledge flex
One of my professors in my undergraduate program constantly brought up that the Colosseum not having the posts at the foot of it to hold on the awning, so they made the awning defy physics. The funny thing was, he was a consultant on Spartacus and has consulted on other movies in the past.
I would love to see Tristan Hughes comment on the 2010 film Centurion.
I loved that movie filmed in my homeland Scotland about the Picts against the Romans.
I will now go look up that movie. Thanks!
Loved this, great job!
The battle scene in the beginning definitly had references to modern warfare, like the D day or with all that fire explosions Vietnam war Napalm usage.
It was a thrilled watching 👀 and entertaining video about Gladiator movie 🎬. Thank you ( history Hit) channel for sharing
I cant watch this battle scene without getting goosebumps EVERY time
Amazing - love your style, earned yourself a new subscriber! 👍👍
“That’s an interesting choice.”
Translation of genteel phrasing: “You’re loud AND wrong here.”
Love it.😅
A Historian and a Blue nose ! Fair do's . Really enjoying the feature. One of my favourite films ever. Always wondered how authentic it was.
What I wouldn’t give to discuss Rome with him . From the beginning of it start to the end and the Byzantine empire have studied it for years . Thank you for your insight
I’ve seen this movie a number of times and only now did I realize the the song that is being played in the background of the first battle of the movie is titled “Mars, God of War”. Near detail
re - 22:45
Hang on! I seem to recall that Caesar's description of those few Celtic tribes in Britain who dared to face his legion (yes, singular legion, for his first voyage to Britain), that they used scythed chariots. Also, on Caesar's second voyage to Britain, when more resistance had arisen (and when more legions had successfully made the crossing), there were even more clashes vs scythed chariots, which the Romans had learned to combat, since their previous voyage to Briatin.
I could be wrong, and Caesar might have described simple "Chariots," rather than "Scythed Chariots," but I'm reasonably confident that they were, in fact, scythed chariots that Caesar described in Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
WOW You explanation of this film is fantastic, Your video should be placed in schools as a learning aid
Ridley Scott was really at the top of his game during the time of Gladiator, a really missed chance on Napoleon
I was entertained, Maximus?!
Great video by the way . Have subscribed.
In 2021, Scott announced that writing had begun on a sequel, which is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 22, 2024.
Oh no.
I am shuddering at the thought and I know, I just know, that I am going to the cinema to see it. I shall need large amounts of chocolate.
@@CMP-st5wh Get ready for Trans-Maximus ... or Maxine.
it has just wrapped up filming in Malta and there was an open day on the set!
I love this historian, you can tell from his body language alone, without him speaking, that he is brilliant. He also transmits how much he loves the subject matter he discusses and he is careful and respectful of it. Very engaging to the viewer. He and Eleanor Janega are my favorite historians in the channel.
Thank you for an interesting take on this film.
Just when I want to stop thinking about Rome, this excellent video comes along😂
This guy speaks surprisingly good English for an Ancient Roman.
The fact that Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean have basically the same soundtrack always takes me out of the movie
and the war chants by the Germans in the opening battle scene were stolen from the film Zulu!
PotC is mass media junk. Gradiator os a classy classic.
@@victorpulis5113 you wish. Zimmer doesn't have to steal from anyone, there's half-a-dozen other composers that rip him off though.
@@radicalreactions1633 did I say that Zimmer stole from anyone?!
An interesting overview of the actual historical accuracy of yet another of Ridley Scott's 'interpretations'. I read somewhere that although Commodus fought in the Arena his opponents were given wooden swords with which to defend themselves? I would also thoroughly recommend Tristan's The Ancient podcast 10/10.
Watching these clips from the opening battle. It’s actually crazy how much better it looks than all blockbusters today. Obviously it’s Ridley Scott but even comparing it to Napoleon, I think Gladiator looks much better. What has happened? I understand the benefits to shooting on digital but is it worth it?
over-reliance on CGI. Back when computers were much less advanced CGI was used relatively sparingly to render stuff that couldn't be done in-camera. Nowadays because we can render almost anything semi-realistically everything is filmed on green screen and the CGI studios are completely overwhelmed by having to render 90% of the film within impossible deadlines and on a tight budget.
You're wrong about the Gladiator barracks not being in the centre of Rome. The Gladiator School (or maybe a) ruins are around the corner from the colosseum, you can visit them today. Gladiators were pretty high status, so I'm guessing you don't need to hide them away, and you want them near the fighting arena.
Edit: it's called Ludus Magnus, and like in the movie, it is right next door to the Colosseum. Google maps it!
Out of all Ridley Scott’s ‘historical’ works the inaccuracies in this one bother me the least
horses charging through forest is more like a comedy film.
Yes, and big catapults as field artillery is a comedy.
The last place you’d want to be galloping a horse through is a wild forest. Might work out great for the other side though as horses injured themselves and their riders.
@@JakeKilkaEven though that definitely was a practise? They used catapults all the time in scenarios like these.
@@Vyable__ Well define catapult. Smaller crossbow-like catapults such as ballistae were used in field battles. Big onager type catapults were used in sieges. Smaller onagers also sometimes in field battles from 300-400 AD onwards. But even then it was nothing like shooting huge fireballs in a forest, like we see in Gladiator, which takes place in 180 AD.
@@JakeKilka That is NOT a catapult. Look up your OWN DEFINITIONS since you don't know what they mean to begin with. Catapults have swinging "arms," DF.
Too bad he didn't comment on the SPQR tattoo. I am really curious whether that acronym was used at all in the imperial era. My guess is that it wasn't.
Hey mate. New here. I listen to alot of videos at work.
I thought it worth mentioning that I'm enjoying the video but the sound is alot quieter than most the videos I listen to. Having a louder max volume would go a long way for folks like me.
Otherwise fantastic
Septimius Severus was born in 145 ad. This was supposed to take place the night Marcus Aurelius died, so it should be 180 ad. Certainly, there wouldnt have been a bust of a senator in his mid 30s in Aurelius's tent.
I think what Hughes meant to say is that it was before Septimius was even emperor in 193 ad.
just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the gladiator name
wait a minute, isn't that the MF DOOM mask??? 25:59
I read that the Senaton chewed on laural leaves to keep from laughing at Comadus in the arena
Sadly no comments about the Zulu regiment fighting with the Germanic tribes.
I spotted that as well. The sound effects were pinched from Zulu. I almost expected the romans to start singing Men of Harlech when I first saw the film
Or Michael Cain as a centurion!@@davidsullivan7743
@@davidsullivan7743 No they weren't.
I get what this guy is saying about Hollywood not portraying historical battles correctly, he would rather they make it exciting so people will then be more interested in looking up the real way the battles were fought. Unfortunately these days a lot of audiences, especially younger ones, assume what they see on screen is accurate when more and more it is not.
It is a Hollywood writers job to make a movie exciting, but 9/10 if they made it historically accurate it would still be exciting if they were a good enough writer. For example what we see in that opening battle is wrong in so many ways. Firstly the number of men involved would have been way more, 3-4 times what we see on screen. Secondly you would not have a cavalry charge through a forest. In fact forests were used to protect an armies flanks FROM cavalry!! Thirdly the Roman war machine was so successful because the legions didn't fall apart when battle was joined. The battle wouldn't fall into a melee where it was every man for himself. The Roman infantry were a meat grinder, marching forward together in one unstoppable formation of shields and swords.
If they were accurate historic battles it would take too long. Punters would have to get a weekly ticket.
A Historically inaccurate film does not make it a bad film like Tristan Hughes says, I don't like how so many experts put films down because of this point, there has to be room for dramatising a film and making it more exciting.
Must be tough for Ridley Scott knowing that no movie he’d ever make will be as good as Gladiator.
His debut film is almost as good "The Duellists". Plus he has another dozen brilliant films under his belt... I don't think he has anything to feel bad about.
@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE I think his prior work was better than anything that has come after, I think this is peak Scott. Blade runner is my favorite movie of his, Alien is obviously a great movie, but I feel that after Gladiator his work hasn’t been as good.
Ridley Scott has like 3 or 4 movies that are close to or on par with Gladiator and probably 10 movies besides those that are still bangers. don’t think he’s worried about that.
Alien?
He peaked, I do not see him surpassing gladiator.
Maybe I'm just a history nerd, but factual history is more interesting to me.
Oh come on, live a little. I'm a History Hons graduate and this is one of my favourite films, if not the favourite.
I think it’s good to remember that Commodus was the first Roman emperor to gain the throne thru primogeniture, I just don’t understand why his father, Marcus Aurelius, known to be a smart man would just hand over the power to such an inept
His one major mistake.
Adoption was not official policy, it was something they were forced to do. It was basically only by pure chance that Roman Emperors before Aurelius had no natural sons to pass the throne to. Augustus had no sons, Tiberius’s son was murdered in court intrigue, Caligula died young, Claudius’s sons were murdered by Nero, Nero died young, both of Vespasian’s sons succeeded him, Titus was hated and nobody wanted his son to rule, Nerva had no sons, Trajan had no sons, Hadrian had no sons, Antoninus’s sons all died young.
roman buildings would have been painted too, not just grey concrete. i was taught that the thumbs up or down just meant that they were agreeing with the crowd or vetoing it. so if the crowd was yelling death, thumbs up meant death.
Man, the opening battle.
Imagine being a little small family who’s off on their own.
Constantly on the move just trying to survive and stay hidden.
And you hear just godly rumbling and yelling, chants and just noise of something you’d prob assume was hell itself on earth.
And you stumble up ontop of one of those hills on the side off from each sides rear .
And you just witness the full scale of carnage and insanity.
I’d be shook for life as an adult but a child would be forever traumatized.
Even if they have seen war or violence resulting in death before.
This is just madness.
The opening battle makes me laugh - more pyrotechnics than a Rammstein concert!
Thanks for mentioning his name! It has always disturbed me.
Why? Because you're dense like him and don't understand the TERM ALIAS? It's NOT A NAME, it's literally AKA. So much for being an "expert."
I had completely forgotten Tommy Flanagan was in Gladiator.
I can't watch Gladiator without thinking of Rodney in Only Fools and Horses.
V good deep dive.
Anyone else ever noticed the opening battle scene, the chanting is from the film zulu😅
Maximus was actually a New Zealander, who settled in Australia, and then made it to Rome, to lead an army against the Germanic tribes...there, that settles it!
I just saw this movie for the first time a few days ago! I'm sort of a history nerd (I listen to lectures while I drive), so I did annoy my wife with a fair few of these. Loved hearing the perspective of an actual historian! I did think that the movie was a great time and I really enjoyed it overall. The costume and and set design was just beautiful especially.
Concerning the logistics of artillery. Was it manufactured elsewhere first and then transported in parts to the battlefields, or was it easier for campaigns to build their artillery as needed?
I read that when Commodus fought in the arena his opponents were always given blunted weapons.
18:30 I have to correct. The Lvdvs Magnvs was the biggest gladiatorial school and is located directly at the side of the amphitheatrum flavium. There are like 150 meters between the two buildings and there was a tunnel connection the two. Both ruins can be visited today. The tunnel however is not longer there unfortunately.
So the depiction of a gladiatorial caserne right besides the ‚colosseum‘ is absolutely correct
New fan, you keep history from vanishing into oblivion. Procopius
Septimius Severus was born already for some time in 180 AD, considering he became emperor in 193...
A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything thrown into it
Didnt Julius Ceasar, another Roman general loved by his soldiers, fight in the frontlines as well?
He did when absolutely necessary I believe
Brilliant video! One of Sir Ridley Scott's greatest films.
Now I’m watching Gladiator tonight.
ty subbed
I appreciate that this is a historical film that is colourful. No blue-grey filter such as we are getting used to. Common people wearing well fitting clothing in cheerful colours! Because humans have always been human.
One of my friends was one of the gladiators in the chariot scene. Ridley trawled the gyms of the UK for athletic, muscular, 6’+ blokes to be in it. Sadly my 5’4” didn’t cut it lol, but my friend did. He had some great stories about the film. Even more sadly, he went off the deep end afterwards and wasn’t the same again.
To give some credit to Gladiator regarding "thumbs down," while we don't know for sure whether thumbs down meant live or die, the movie only really shows the Emperor using the thumb at all. When the audience wants Maximus to be spared they yell "live" and when they want Tigris dead they yell "kill," and wave their arms wildly, making it hard to tell whether they're actually turning their thumbs up or down.
Romans had no stirrups and gripped the saddle by their legs where there were protruding "horns"
Even the saddles took a long time to be invented.
You never mention the film crew seen in the crowd during the "Are you not entertained" speech.
There are also the gas canisters seen in the overturned chariot or tractor tracks in the dusty streets of Ancient Rome. Interestingly, the epicenter of Ancient Rome never had dirt streets, as they were all paved at the time. My favorite is when Cassius is announcing to the crowd the opening of the games, several times you can see his false teeth unsticking from his gums.
If you think the capacity for the Colosseum was large, it was dwarfed by the seating at the Circus Maximus, which could hold up to 350,000 people, one in every three people in Rome. The " roar" of the crowd at the circus could be heard before you could see the city walls.
The reason the Circus became redundant was two fold. First and foremost, the seats at the Circus, often put together especially for each event, had several well known seating " collapse" incidents, one of which caused over 50000 injuries and deaths. This arrangement was unsustainable, so more permanent facilities were constructed, with the " Flavian Ampitheatre" having to wait for funding to finish the project, and this was duly provided by loot from the Temple in Jerusalem, a siege which Titus had to finish while his father took control.
The second reason is that the " spectaculars" became more and more elaborate with a " theatre" like organisation requiring a " backstage", where animals and participants could be kept, and " props" stored and introduced to the arena with pulleys lifting them to the arena floor, or animals lifted into the arena cages to be released into the atena itself. This type of "behind the scenes" activity to set up each event was not really possible at the Circus, hence the need for a more " purpose built" facility.
Can I complain about Maximus riding that horse in the reenactment. You can't jump on any old horse and ride it into battle, it's going to freak out, buck you off, and bolt. You have to train horses and familiarize them with everything you want to do, a chariot horse isn't a cavalry horse.
On the contrary - I complain about virtually everything to do with horses as portrayed in ancient history films - take a look at the Elgin Marbles - their "horses" were more like ponies and the best know Equine expert Xenophon goes into reams to explain his methods designed to weed out all but the most likely to stand full training.
Rule Number One for cavalry - STAY THE HELL OUT OF A FOREST! Speed is King - the cavalry DOES NOT STOP! The whole reason why there are so any chariots depicted in history - is because the horses couldn't be used for much else, it took quite a long time for people to realise things we take for granted such as - saddles, stirrups, bridles with a bit etc., ect., so in the early days, cavalry was exclusively light skirmishers a bit like Injuns in Westerns. Romans did have horses big enough to fight from but they were only employed on the periphery of a battle or running down a fleeing enemy that was already routed.
If you can find it, you should definately read "Those who are about to die" by Daniel P. Mannix.
It is a tremendous book about the history of the Roman games from the start to the end.
I'd love to see your thoughts on Rome.
Some of the arrows flying in the Collesium would surely have found their way to the spectators. Makes sense that there weren't battle reenactments in relatively tight quarters.
The succession of Marcus Aurelius was decided long before he died: Commodus was his co-imperator for at least three years, starting at age 15.
MF the Gladiator