Smithsonian Magazine on MSN11d
Ancient Roman Gladiators Were Huge Celebrities Who Even Had Their Own Merch
A tiny gladiator figurine was used as a handle on a 2,000-year-old copper folding knife found in an English river, suggesting ...
IX facts about Roman gladiators
While being a gladiator was considered a punishment, there were some star fighters who were allowed to retire after surviving ...
Gladiator 2: The Colosseum Never Had Sharks, But There Are Crocodiles in the Real History
Some folks cannot believe the Roman Colosseum was home to man-eating sharks, but the truth isn’t too far removed from ...
Dedicated Roman gladiator superfans were the football hooligans of their day
In the amphitheater of Gladiator II, Ridley Scott trains his lens on fighters and emperors—but no account of ancient ...
How the gladiators inspired evangelicals’ sense of persecution
Ancient athletic competitions shaped how people thought about beauty, the body, self-control, education and competition. For victorious gladiators, the outcast and the slave could paradoxically embody ...
Smithsonian Magazine on MSN9d
The Real History Behind Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena
The "Gladiator" sequel centers on Lucius Verus, the secret son of Russell Crowe's character from the 2000 film. Both men ...
Were there really rhinos, baboons and sharks in the Colosseum? A Roman history professor explains ‘Gladiator II’ scenes
The image of a gladiator standing tall on top of a charging rhino flying through the Roman Colosseum became one of the ...