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Narrator: THE OSCAR-WINNING FILM GLADIATOR
IS THE STORY OF A HERO--
RUSSELL CROWE'S MAXIMUS, THE GENERAL WHO BECAME A SLAVE
WHO BECAME A GLADIATOR.
HE IS THE PERFECT FIGHTING MACHINE
AND HE DESTROYS THE MOST POWERFUL MAN ON EARTH,
THE EMPEROR OF ROME.
Gladiator: ARGH!
Narrator: THE HISTORICAL TRUTH IS EVEN MORE SURPRISING.
LIKE MAXIMUS, THE GLADIATORS OF ROME
BATTLED IN GIANT ARENAS FOR THE PLEASURE OF THE CROWD.
NEW EXPERIMENTS WILL REVEAL
HOW THESE MEN REALLY FOUGHT AND DIED.
Dan Shadrake: NOW THAT WOULD MAKE THE CROWD ROAR,
IT'S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.
Narrator: THE REAL EMPEROR COMMODUS WAS EVEN CRAZIER
THAN MAXIMUS'S ENEMY IN THE HOLLYWOOD VERSION.
HE WAS SO OBSESSED BY GLADIATORS,
HE BECAME THE ONLY EMPEROR TO FIGHT IN THE ARENA--
AND HIS OBSESSION CAME WITH A BODY COUNT.
NEW ARCHAEOLOGY COULD REVEAL THE SECRETS OF HOW COMMODUS LIVED,
COMMITTED HIS CRIMES AND MAYBE EVEN WHERE HE DIED.
JUST LIKE THE STORY
OF RUSSELL CROWE'S CHARACTER MAXIMUS,
THIS IS A TALE OF BLOOD, DEATH, SEX AND VIOLENCE.
THIS IS THE REAL STORY OF GLADIATOR.
Narrator: IN THE MOVIE GLADIATOR, THE HERO, MAXIMUS,
PLAYED BY RUSSELL CROWE,
IS CONDEMNED TO FIGHT AS A SLAVE IN THE ARENA.
Maximus: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
Narrator: ALL THAT KEEPS HIM ALIVE IS HIS THIRST FOR REVENGE
ON THE EMPEROR COMMODUS WHO KILLED HIS FAMILY.
BUT THIS IS ONE HOLLYWOOD MOVIE
THAT DOESN'T EXAGGERATE THE BLOODY TRUTH.
David Franzoni: THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS TONE IT DOWN.
I MEAN, THE GAMES WERE VASTLY MORE VIOLENT THAN WE PORTRAYED.
Narrator: THE EMPEROR COMMODUS WAS REAL.
HIS FATHER, THE EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS WAS REAL.
THE ARENA WAS REAL.
GLADIATORS WERE REAL.
Gladiator: ARGH!
Narrator: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MAN
WHO IN THE MOVIE CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY?
WAS MAXIMUS--GENERAL, SLAVE, GLADIATOR--REAL, TOO?
IN 2008 CONTRACTORS DIGGING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A NEW HOUSE
FOUND SOME AMAZINGLY PRESERVED ROMAN REMAINS.
WHEN THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS MOVED IN,
THEY REALIZED THEY HAD FOUND A MAGNIFICENT TOMB.
Dr. Darius Arya: SO TELL ME ALESIO, HOW DOES IT ALL START,
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION?
Narrator: THIS MASSIVE EXCAVATION IS ON THE EDGE OF ROME,
BARELY SIX MILES FROM THE COLOSSEUM.
FOR THE ROMANS, THIS WAS PRIME REAL ESTATE
RUNNING ALONGSIDE ONE OF THE MAIN ROADS
OUT OF THE ANCIENT CITY.
HISTORIAN DARIUS ARYA HAS COME
TO MEET ARCHAEOLOGIST ALESIO DE CHRISTOFARO.
AS THE DIG PROGRESSED, IT SOON BECAME CLEAR
THE MONUMENT THAT ONCE STOOD HERE WAS HUGE.
Alesio De Christofaro: SO THIS IS THE FIRST OF FOUR COLUMNS
WHICH WAS PART OF THE MONUMENTS IN THE FRONT.
Arya: AND WHAT ARE YOU ESTIMATING FOR THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT THEN?
De Christofaro: IT WAS ABOUT SEVEN METERS, MORE OR LESS.
Arya: WOW, YEAH, THAT'S VERY LARGE.
Narrator: AN INSCRIPTION CARVED INTO THE FRONT OF THE TOMB
TOLD THE TEAM IT HAD BELONGED TO A MAN NAMED MACRINUS
AND IT LISTED HIS MANY ACHIEVEMENTS.
De Christofaro: SO THIS IS A FRAGMENT
OF THE PEDIMENT WITH DESCRIPTION.
HE WAS GOVERNOR OF HUNGARY, THEN, IN SPAIN.
Narrator: MACRINUS WAS A ROMAN GENERAL
AND A FRIEND OF EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS,
HE SOUNDED JUST LIKE THE FICTIONAL MAXIMUS.
SUDDENLY PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE GLADIATOR TOMB.
Man: ARCHAEOLOGISTS GOT LUCKY ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF ROME.
[SPEAKING ITALIAN]
Arya: A LOT OF HOOPLA SURROUNDING THE DISCOVERY
OF THIS MONUMENT WHEN THE NAME MACRINUS COMES OUT
BECAUSE HE'S ONE OF THESE CHRONOLOGICAL FIGURES
THAT IS ONE OF THE MODELS FOR, LET'S SAY,
THE CONCEPTION OF THE GLADIATOR CHARACTER
IN THE RIDLEY SCOTT MOVIE.
Narrator: MACRINUS DIED AN HONORED GENERAL,
ONE OF THE ROMAN ELITE.
HE AND MAXIMUS BEGAN THEIR STORIES IN THE SAME PLACE,
BUT THE REAL GENERAL NEVER BECAME A SLAVE OR A GLADIATOR.
Arya: HE IS NOT A PERSON THAT BECOMES A GLADIATOR,
HE IS NOT A PERSON THAT FINISHES HIS CAREER IN INFAMY,
INSTEAD HE'S A SUCCESSFUL GENERAL, RECOGNIZED AS SUCH,
AND LEAVES BEHIND A VERY MONUMENTAL TOMB.
Narrator: SO MACRINUS, LIKE OTHER ROMAN INDIVIDUALS,
WAS JUST A TINY PART OF MAXIMUS'S STORY.
IT APPEARS THAT NO ONE REAL MAN FROM ANCIENT ROME
WAS THE REAL GLADIATOR.
Franzoni: THERE IS NO HISTORICAL CHARACTER WHO IS MAXIMUS.
WE JUST MADE HIM UP--
OR I JUST MADE HIM UP.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Narrator: FOR A START,
REAL GLADIATORS DIDN'T LOOK LIKE RUSSELL CROWE.
THEIR DIET AND TRAINING
MADE THEM MORE LIKE HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTLERS.
BUT THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER MAXIMUS
DID TAKE THE AUDIENCE INTO AN AUTHENTIC ANCIENT ROME.
THIS HERO'S WORLD WAS REAL, AND SO WAS HIS ENEMY.
COMMODUS, AS PORTRAYED BY JOAQUIN PHOENIX, IS CRUEL,
AMBITIOUS, BRUTAL, AND FOOLISH.
IN REAL LIFE HE WAS ALL THIS AND MORE.
HE SLEPT WITH HIS OWN SISTERS, HE MAIMED PEOPLE FOR FUN,
HE SLAUGHTERED ROME'S RICH AND POWERFUL,
AND HE HIMSELF FOUGHT IN THE ARENA.
THE CRUEL REIGN AND EVENTUAL DOWNFALL
OF THE GLADIATOR EMPEROR HAS THE BEST CLAIM
TO BE THE REAL STORY OF GLADIATOR.
THE YEAR IS 180 A.D.
ROME HAS BEEN AN EMPIRE FOR TWO CENTURIES.
ON THE BANKS OF THE DANUBE IN AN ARMY CAMP,
THE EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS
COMMANDS THE WAR AGAINST BARBARIAN TRIBES
ACCOMPANIED BY HIS SON, COMMODUS.
IN THE FILM, HE IS THE GOOD EMPEROR,
A MAN FOR WHOM THE HONOR OF ROME IS EVERYTHING.
THAT'S NOT FAR FROM THE TRUTH.
Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy: MARCUS AURELIUS IS REMEMBERED
AS ONE OF THE BEST EMPERORS ROME EVER HAD.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS THE MAN
WHO CONTROLLED THE GREATER PART OF THE KNOWN WORLD.
Arya: HE WAS A REAL HIGH POINT IN THE ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE,
EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT THIS AS A REAL GOLDEN AGE,
AND SO COMMODUS HAS A LOT TO LIVE UP TO.
Narrator: IN THE MOVIE, CLOSE TO DEATH,
MARCUS AURELIUS WANTED HIS GENERAL MAXIMUS TO SUCCEED HIM
AND RETURN ROME TO A REPUBLIC.
IN REALITY THERE WAS NEVER ANY QUESTION
HIS SON COMMODUS WOULDN'T BE HIS SUCCESSOR,
BUT HE WAS VERY YOUNG
TO BE TAKING ON THE BIGGEST JOB IN THE WORLD.
Goldsworthy: THINK TODAY OF SOME POP STAR
OR SOMEBODY BROUGHT UP FRIGHTFULLY WEALTHY,
WHO AT THE AGE OF 18 OR 19 IS SUDDENLY TOLD,
YOU ARE THE MASTER OF THE WORLD.
IN MANY WAYS IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT IT DOESN'T GO WELL.
Narrator: AT THE HEART OF HIS FAILURE
WAS COMMODUS'S TOTAL OBSESSION WITH GLADIATORS.
JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE GLADIATOR,
THE ROMANS LOVED THE GAMES, AND COMMODUS MOST OF ALL.
IT'S A WORLD COMPLETELY ALIEN TO US.
Goldsworthy: WHILST WE'RE QUITE HAPPY SORT OF VICARIOUSLY
TO GO AND WATCH A MOVIE THAT'S VIOLENT,
WE KNOW IT'S NOT REAL, PEOPLE AREN'T BEING KILLED.
THE ROMANS TAKE IT A STAGE FAR FURTHER.
Susanna Shadrake: WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT
BECAUSE IT'S NOT OUR CULTURE TO KILL PEOPLE
OR TO HAVE THEM KILL EACH OTHER.
BUT ROMANS WERE LESS SQUEAMISH THAN US,
THERE WERE NO BLEEDING HEARTS IN ANCIENT ROME.
Narrator: THE GAMES WERE MORE THAN JUST A BLOOD BATH,
MORE THAN ENTERTAINMENT,
THEY WERE A LESSON IN HOW TO LIVE AND DIE BRAVELY,
THE ROMAN WAY.
FOR THE GLADIATORS THEMSELVES,
IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE ULTIMATE ADRENALINE RUSH.
Franzoni: WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE
AS YOU CAME OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SIDES TO BE A GLADIATOR?
YOU KNOW, WERE YOU A SUPERSTAR?
WERE YOU A FAMOUS ATHLETE?
WERE YOU JUST A SLAVE WHO WAS GONNA BE SLAUGHTERED?
Crowd: KILL! KILL! KILL!
Narrator: GLADIATORS WEREN'T JUST THUGS
BEATING EACH OTHER TO DEATH...
THEY WERE SKILLED WARRIORS,
THE CLOSEST THING ROME HAD TO MODERN CELEBRITIES.
BUT THEY WERE ALSO POWERLESS SLAVES
WITH NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT OR DIE.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Gladiator: ARGH!
Narrator: IN THE MOVIE GLADIATOR,
THE GAME'S ROLE IS JUST TO ENTERTAIN THE MOB,
BUT IN REALITY, THE GAMES WERE MORE, MUCH MORE.
GLADIATORS BEGAN FIGHTING 200 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST
NOT AS ENTERTAINMENT BUT AS PART OF A ROMAN FUNERAL.
PRISONERS OF WAR FOUGHT TO THE DEATH
MAYBE EVEN AS A KIND OF HUMAN SACRIFICE.
THE GAMES DEVELOPED INTO A PUBLIC SPECTACLE.
POLITICIANS AND EMPERORS REALIZED THEY COULD BE USED
TO WIN POPULARITY;
ROMANS LOVED THE GAMES AND WHOEVER PAID FOR THEM.
BY THE TIME OF COMMODUS,
GLADIATORS HAD BECOME THE BIGGEST SHOW ROME HAD TO OFFER,
PLAYED OUT IN THE BIGGEST ARENA THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN.
Dr. John Coulston: YOU'VE GOT THE COLOSSEUM, GREAT FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE,
THE BIGGEST OF THEM ALL,
80,000-SOMETHING LIKE THE SEATING CAPACITY.
Narrator: AND AT THE HEART OF THE SPECTACLE,
THE CENTER OF ALL THE ATTENTION,
WERE THE ROMAN ROCK STARS, THE GLADIATORS.
Goldsworthy: YOU KNOW, THESE WERE "LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG" TYPE CELEBRITIES.
YOU KNOW, THEY WEREN'T GONNA BE AROUND FOR TOO LONG
UNLESS THEY WERE REALLY, REALLY GOOD,
AND THE ONES THAT LASTED AGAIN
BECAME GREATER AND GREATER CELEBRITIES
SIMPLY THROUGH SURVIVAL.
Franzoni: THE GLADIATORIAL GAMES WERE SO EXTREME.
I MEAN, WE HAVE EXTREME WRESTLING, EXTREME BOXING,
EXTREME EVERYTHING NOW.
WE KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE
WATCHING PEOPLE REALLY DISEMBOWEL,
WE'RE NOT GONNA SMELL THEIR GUTS.
Narrator: GLADIATORS WEREN'T JUST CELEBRITIES;
THEY WERE ANCIENT ROME'S SEX SYMBOLS.
Dr. Catharine Edwards: GLADIATORS ARE STARS, THAT'S FOR SURE.
GLADIATORS ARE SUPREMELY SEXY
AND, YOU KNOW, ROMAN WOMEN
APPARENTLY KIND OF LOSE THEIR HEARTS TO GLADIATORS
ALL THE TIME, SO THERE'S A SENSE IN WHICH
THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING THE GLADIATORS IS A *** PLEASURE.
Narrator: IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR ARISTOCRATIC WOMEN,
MARRIED OR OTHERWISE, TO GO DOWN TO THE GLADIATOR BARRACKS.
IN FACT IT WAS EVEN RUMORED COMMODUS HIMSELF
WAS THE RESULT OF AN AFFAIR
BETWEEN HIS MOTHER AND A GLADIATOR.
THEY MAY HAVE BEEN CELEBRITY SEX SYMBOLS,
BUT THE REAL GLADIATORS WERE STILL ALMOST ALWAYS SLAVES--
THEY WERE JUST PROPERTY TO FIGHT AND DIE.
IN THE MOVIE, MAXIMUS IS FIRST CAPTURED AS A SLAVE,
THEN SOLD TO BE A GLADIATOR IN THE SCHOOL OF PROXIMO.
IT WAS THE SAME IN REAL LIFE.
Goldsworthy: SOME OF THEM ARE WAR CAPTIVES,
SOME OF THEM ARE SLAVES SIMPLY BRED INTO SLAVERY
OR PEOPLE CONDEMNED TO THIS LIFE.
SO THEY ARE VERY MUCH FROM THE LOWEST OF THE LOW--
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHTS.
Narrator: JUST BECAUSE THEY CAME FROM THE SLAVE MARKET,
IT DIDN'T MEAN GLADIATORS WERE PHYSICAL WRECKS.
Susanna Shadrake: IT'S ONLY THE BEST PHYSICAL SPECIMENS WOULD BE SELECTED.
IF SOMEBODY SHOWED THAT THEY HAD WHAT IT TOOK
TO BE ON THEIR FEET AT THE END OF A FIGHT
LASTING ANYTHING BETWEEN THREE TO SIX TO EIGHT MINUTES,
THEN THAT WAS THE SORT OF PERSON THAT WAS GOING TO BE GROOMED
AND TURNED INTO A POSSIBLE STAR OF THE SHOW.
Narrator: FOR A NEW GLADIATOR THE LIFE WAS TOUGH.
HERE AT A GLADIATOR SCHOOL CALLED A LUDUS,
THEY WERE PREPARED FOR THE ARENA.
THE TRAINING REGIME WAS BRUTAL WITH ONE PURPOSE--
TO TURN THEM INTO SKILLFUL WARRIORS.
WITHIN SIX MONTHS THEY WOULD BE FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES.
Susanna Shadrake: A LUDUS WAS THE PLACE
WHERE THE GLADIATORS MOSTLY LIVED.
THEY'D BE FED, THEY'D HAVE ALL OF THEIR NEEDS ATTENDED TO,
AND THEY WOULD TRAIN.
THEY'RE TAUGHT BASIC MOVES.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS
GLADIATORS WOULD TRAIN WITH WOODEN SWORDS
AT A POST CALLED A PALUS.
Goldsworthy: THIS IS DONE AD NAUSEAM,
DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK, TO BUILD UP THE STAMINA
AND TO BUILD UP THE VERY, VERY SPECIALIZED MUSCULATURE.
[GRUNTING]
Narrator: IN THE MOVIES, GLADIATORS ARE SHOWN AS MISTREATED
AND UNDERFED SLAVES, LITTLE MORE THAN ANIMALS,
BUT IN FACT THEY HAD THE BEST NUTRITION AND MEDICINE IN ROME--
AFTER ALL, THEY WERE STARS AND A VALUABLE COMMODITY.
IT WASN'T JUST TO KEEP THEM HAPPY
THAT GLADIATORS WERE WELL FED, IT WAS TO HELP PROTECT THEM.
Goldsworthy: THEY WERE WELL FED, THERE WAS A VERY SPECIFIC DIET,
GRAIN BASED, BUT I THINK LOTS OF IT
REALLY BUILDING UP THE BULK OF THEIR BODIES.
Susanna Shadrake: THEY WEREN'T CHISELED, NO.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MOSAICS OF GLADIATORS,
THEY DON'T LOOK AS WE WOULD IMAGINE
A HOLLYWOOD GLADIATOR WOULD LOOK THESE DAYS.
THEY FRANKLY LOOK QUITE BULKY.
Narrator: THE LAYERS OF FAT WERE THERE TO PROTECT THEIR ORGANS
FROM SWORD BLOWS
BECAUSE ALL THIS TRAINING HAD ONLY ONE PURPOSE...
TO ENTER THE ARENA AND FIGHT TO THE DEATH.
Susanna Shadrake: IT'S JUST A CASE OF BRINGING THEM ON,
JUST LIKE RACEHORSES.
Narrator: AND IT'S NOT JUST THE WAY GLADIATORS ARE TREATED
THAT THE MOVIE GETS WRONG.
IN THE FILM, FIGHTS IN THE ARENA ARE FREE-FOR-ALLS.
BUT REAL GLADIATORS DIDN'T USE MACES OR WEAR BULL'S HEADS.
THEY WEREN'T IN TWO TEAMS
AND CHARIOT BATTLE RECREATIONS WERE FOR UNTRAINED PRISONERS.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN WILD ANIMALS IN THE ARENA,
BUT IT WASN'T GLADIATORS WHO FOUGHT THEM.
EACH GLADIATOR WAS TRAINED IN A SPECIALIZED CATEGORY
WITH ITS OWN ARMS AND ARMOR AND ITS OWN FIGHTING STYLE,
LIKE SUPERHEROES, EACH WITH A SPECIAL POWER.
ALL ROME LOOKED FORWARD TO THE TWO MAIN ANNUAL GAMES,
WHICH COULD LAST FROM A WEEK TO HALF THE YEAR.
THE AUDIENCE WERE CONNOISSEURS OF EACH STYLE OF GLADIATOR,
APPRECIATING THE FINER POINTS OF THE FIGHT
LIKE A MODERN SPORTS FAN.
THEY CAME FOR A DISPLAY OF VIRTUOSO SKILL,
TWO DUALISTS, ONE ON ONE.
Coulston: GENERALLY THEY DIDN'T HAVE TWO GLADIATORS
OF EXACTLY THE SAME TYPE
SLUGGING IT OUT FOR HOURS ON END.
WHAT THEY HAVE IS SOMEBODY WHO'S FAST VERSUS SOMEBODY WHO'S SLOW.
Narrator: THE CATEGORIES OF GLADIATORS WERE CAREFULLY BALANCED,
EACH WITH THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
THE AUDIENCE WANTED TO SEE BLOOD AND GUTS AND DEATH,
BUT THEY ALSO WANTED SKILL, EXCITEMENT, AND SURPRISES.
THERE WERE VARIATIONS, BUT IN COMMODUS'S TIME
THERE WERE SEVEN MAIN CATEGORIES OF GLADIATOR...
RETIARIUS, THE NET MAN WHO WAS FISHING FOR GLADIATORS.
MURMILLO, THE FISH MAN, THE RETIARIUS'S SWORN ENEMY.
EQUES, THE HORSEMAN,
THE ONLY GLADIATOR WHO GOT TO WEAR A TUNIC.
SECUTOR, THE PURSUER, COMMODUS'S FAVORITE TYPE.
HOPLOMACHUS, THE FIGHTING MAN WITH HIS SPEAR.
PROVOCATOR, THE PROVOKER BASED ON A ROMAN LEGIONARY.
THRAEX, THE THRACIAN,
SPARTACUS'S TYPE, WITH A VICIOUS CURVED SWORD.
BUT FOR THE EXPERTS THE BIGGEST QUESTION
WAS HOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES ACTUALLY FOUGHT...
AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING ARCHAEOLOGISTS CAN DIG UP.
MOVIE GUESS WORK WAS ALMOST AS GOOD AS ANYBODY'S.
BUT NOW IT TURNS OUT THAT THE TRUTH IS VERY DIFFERENT.
IN THE MOVIE GLADIATOR,
THE FIGHTERS HACK AND SLASH AWAY AT EACH OTHER
JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER KIND OF MOVIE SWORD FIGHTER.
IT LOOKS GOOD, BUT IS THAT HOW GLADIATORS REALLY FOUGHT?
Coulston: THE RECREATION OF GLADIATORS IN MOST MODERN FILMS
IS COMPLETELY OFF THE MARK
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T USE ROMAN FIGHTING STYLES.
Narrator: TRADITIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES
CAN TELL US WHAT GLADIATORS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT LOOKED LIKE...
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE FIGHTING, IT'S NOT MUCH HELP.
ENTER EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY.
DAN SHADRAKE IS AN ENGINEER
WHO HAS SPENT A DECADE RESEARCHING AND BUILDING
SOME OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC GLADIATORIAL GEAR IN THE WORLD.
MARCELLO MARASCALCHI IS A FIGHT DIRECTOR.
THEY BELIEVE THE ONLY WAY
TO RECONSTRUCT GLADIATORIAL FIGHTING IS TO DO IT THEMSELVES,
AND TODAY THEY'RE TAKING THE NEW LIVING ARCHAEOLOGY
TO THE EXTREME.
ALL THE PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN SAFETY TRAINED
IN THE USE OF WEAPONS.
AND WHILE WE CAN'T GUARANTEE
THESE COMBAT EXPERIMENTS WILL REVEAL
EXACTLY HOW GLADIATORS FOUGHT,
THEY PROVIDE FRESH INSIGHT INTO THEIR TECHNIQUES.
Coulston: IT'S NOT JUST TWO UNTRAINED THUGS BASHING EACH OTHER
AS IN THE FILM GLADIATOR, IT IS A SORT OF BALLET IN A SENSE.
Narrator: ONCE DAN AND MARCELLO HAVE GOT THE GLADIATORS SUITED UP,
THEY CAN REVERSE ENGINEER THE FIGHTING TECHNIQUES
FROM THE EQUIPMENT.
IT'S GOING TO BE SPECULATION BUT BASED ON LOGIC AND EXPERIENCE.
THEY START WITH WHAT WAS FOR THE ROMANS A CLASSIC COMBO--
THRAEX VERSUS HOPLOMACHUS.
THE THRAEX HAD A SPECIAL CURVED SWORD.
THE HOPLOMACHUS WAS ARMED WITH A SPEAR.
BOTH TYPES OF GLADIATOR HAVE THEIR ARMS AND LEGS PROTECTED,
WOUNDS ON THE LIMBS WOULD BE MINOR BUT MIGHT STOP THE FIGHT.
NO ONE WANTED THAT.
THE EQUIPMENT WAS MEANT TO DELIVER FULL-ON VIOLENCE.
Dan Shadrake: THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PROMOTING THE GAMES
WERE AFTER, WERE SERIOUS, FATAL WOUNDS TO THE BODY TRUNK.
THESE GUYS HAVE VERY SMALL SHIELDS,
LEAVING JUST THE BODY TRUNK OPEN TO WOUNDS
AND OBVIOUSLY FATALITIES.
Susanna Shadrake: THE HEAD IS PROTECTED, BUT THE BODY IS A TARGET.
THIS BIT IS ALMOST,
IT MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A BIG TARGET PAINTED ON IT.
Narrator: GLADIATOR ARMOR IS THERE TO GUIDE THE WEAPON,
MAKING SURE ANY WOUND IS GORY AND PREFERABLY FATAL.
CAN DAN AND MARCELLO WORK OUT
HOW THE WEAPONS WERE ACTUALLY USED?
Marascalchi: I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THE SPEAR
WOULD PROBABLY BE USED QUITE QUICKLY,
AND CERTAINLY IF THE SHIELD DIDN'T WORK,
THEN THE SWORD WOULD FOLLOW QUITE NICELY AFTERWARDS.
Dan Shadrake: ACTUALLY, YES.
Marascalchi: PERHAPS CAME DOWN TO THIS NICE BLOCKING...
Dan Shadrake: OH, MY GOODNESS. YEAH, THAT'S FANTASTIC.
YEAH, VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE.
Narrator: UNLIKE IN THE MOVIES,
THE ROMANS ALSO USED THE SHIELD AS A WEAPON.
Marascalchi: IT'S JUST A MUCH BIGGER KNUCKLE DUSTER.
Dan Shadrake: YEAH. [LAUGHING]
Marascalchi: BACKHAND FIST.
Dan Shadrake. USING THE SHIELD HARD...
Narrator: THAT'S THE BASICS OF ROMAN FIGHTING...
NOW THE MOST POPULAR CLASH OF ALL.
ON ONE SIDE, THE MURMILLO, OR FISH MAN...
WITH SWORD, SHIELD AND HELMET.
Marascalchi: THE ABSOLUTE CLASSIC HEAVYWEIGHT STYLE OF GLADIATOR.
Narrator: ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE RETIARIUS, THE NET MAN.
IT LOOKS UNFAIR; HE HAD THE LEAST PROTECTION
OF ANY GLADIATOR: JUST A SHOULDER GUARD.
NO SHIELD, NO HELMET, A TRIDENT IN ONE HAND, NET IN THE OTHER.
IT WAS FISH MAN AGAINST FISHERMAN.
THE RETIARIUS LOOKED LIKE THE UNDERDOG,
BUT ACTUALLY HE HAD SOME TRICKS UP HIS SLEEVE.
Dan Shadrake: AS FAR AS WE'RE AWARE,
THIS IS THE ONLY CATEGORY THAT WAS ALLOWED TO RETREAT,
ALLOWED TO RUN.
IT WAS SORT OF CONSIDERED A BIT OF A SORT OF DOWNGRADE, REALLY.
Marascalchi: IMMEDIATELY YOU CAN SEE HOW EXPOSED HE IS.
Narrator: THE RETIARIUS WAS ALLOWED TO BACK AWAY
FROM THE MURMILLO'S DEADLY WEAPONS,
AND OVER THE COURSE OF A FIGHT
HE COULD FORCE THE MURMILLO TO CHASE HIM,
TIRING OUT THE HEAVILY ENCUMBERED GLADIATOR
BEFORE MOVING IN FOR THE KILL.
Marascalchi: NOW OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE GOT A LOVELY TARGET THERE
TO THRUST AT.
JUST GO IN AND ATTACK.
Narrator: AS THEY WORK WITH THE TWO GLADIATORS,
IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THE RETIARIUS HAS OTHER ADVANTAGES.
Dan Shadrake: OH, FANTASTIC, YEAH, YEAH, A SWORD TRAP, YEAH.
Marascalchi: WELL, IT'S OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO, YOU KNOW,
EXTEND THE TRIDENT AND TO CATCH...
Dan Shadrake: ABSOLUTELY, YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD HOOK.
Marascalchi: THE SHIELD TO DRAG HIM DOWN.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE NET BEING CAUGHT OVER THE HELMET.
Dan Shadrake: YEAH, EXACTLY.
Marascalchi: DRAGGING, DRAGGING DOWN.
Dan Shadrake: YEP, THIS IS FANTASTIC, LOOK AT THIS.
I MEAN, IT'S CAUGHT ON THIS FIN, THIS EXTRANEOUS FEATURE HERE,
IT'S CAUGHT ON HIS FIN AND IT'S DRAGGING THE HELMET DOWN.
THIS HELMET IS TWO TO THREE TIMES
THE WEIGHT OF A ROMAN LEGIONARY HELMET.
IF THIS MAN LOSES HIS CENTER OF BALANCE,
HE'S GONNA BE IN THE DUST.
Narrator: WHAT THE MURMILLO LACKED IN MANEUVERABILITY
HE MADE UP FOR WITH A MASSIVE SHIELD
AND VICIOUS THRUSTING SWORD.
Dan Shadrake: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
HE COULD DO THE SAME THING IN TERMS OF TRAPPING.
IF THE RETIARIUS IS OVER EAGER
AND BURIES THE TINES IN THE DUST,
THEN YOU CAN INSTANTLY TRAP HIM WITH THAT,
AND THEN COME STRAIGHT IN.
IF THIS GUY'S COMMITTED; HE CAN'T GO ANYWHERE
AND LOOK AT THAT, IT'S FANTASTIC.
Marascalchi: THIS IS COMING IN WITH THE TRIDENT
AND SPINNING ROUND AND TRYING TO DEFLECT THE TRIDENT...
Dan Shadrake: ALSO, YOU COULD BLOCK IT AS WELL.
NOW THAT WOULD MAKE THE CROWD ROAR,
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.
Narrator: THE GLADIATORS BROUGHT THE RUSH, THE GLAMOUR,
THE ADRENALINE TO THE GAMES.
ALL OF ROME WAS ADDICTED,
AND NO ONE MORE THAN THE NEW EMPEROR COMMODUS.
Goldsworthy: NO EMPEROR WAS PROBABLY QUITE AS FASCINATED BY GLADIATORS
AS COMMODUS PROVED HIMSELF TO BE.
Narrator: NOW COMMODUS WAS EMPEROR,
HE WASN'T GOING TO STAY ON THE BORDERS FIGHTING BARBARIANS.
THERE WAS ONLY ONE THING HE WANTED TO DO...
STAGE AND ATTEND GLADIATORIAL GAMES.
[CROWD CHANTING]
Goldsworthy: YOU KNOW, THIS WAS SOMETHING WONDERFUL,
THIS WAS SOMETHING INCREDIBLE,
THIS WAS A WHOLE SORT OF PERVERSE DISNEYLAND EXPERIENCE.
COMMODUS IS POPULAR; HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR GLADIATORS
IS, FOR MANY PEOPLE, A GOOD THING.
Narrator: COMMODUS'S OBSESSION WITH THE GAMES
WAS WINNING OVER THE PEOPLE OF ROME,
BUT BEING EMPEROR WAS MEANT TO BE MORE
THAN POPULARITY WITH THE MOB.
COMMODUS NEEDED TO RULE THE EMPIRE.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Goldsworthy: IT WAS MOST UNFORTUNATE
THAT HE ISN'T REALLY INTERESTED IN THE JOB.
COMMODUS CAN'T REALLY BE BOTHERED.
THERE ARE MUCH MORE FUN THINGS HE'D LIKE TO BE DOING,
LIKE WATCHING GLADIATORS,
BUT THEN THINGS GET WORSE.
Narrator: WHILE GLADIATORS FOUGHT TO THE DEATH
IN FRONT OF BAYING CROWDS, COMMODUS STARTED TO EXECUTE
SOME OF ROME'S MOST IMPORTANT CITIZENS.
AND SOON WATCHING MEN DIE IN THE ARENA
WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH FOR HIM.
HE WANTED TO ENTER THE RING AND SLAY THEM HIMSELF.
IN THE MOVIE GLADIATOR,
IT'S THE SENATORS WHO TRY TO STAND UP
TO THE VICIOUS EMPEROR COMMODUS.
IN REALITY COMMODUS STARTED TO KILL OFF
THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN ROME RIGHT FROM THE START.
JUST SIX MILES FROM THE COLOSSEUM
STAND THE REMAINS OF THE VILLA QUINTILII.
THE NEWEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES HERE,
NEVER FILMED BEFORE,
REVEAL CLUES TO THE MONSTER COMMODUS WAS BECOMING.
THIS VILLA WASN'T JUST THE SCENE OF ONE OF HIS BRUTAL CRIMES,
IT WAS THE MOTIVATION.
Arya: THIS VILLA WAS ORIGINALLY OWNED BY THE QUINTILII BROTHERS;
THEY WERE VERY WEALTHY
AND HAD GOT A FANTASTIC PIECE OF PROPERTY.
Goldsworthy: THEY'VE BEEN ARMY COMMANDERS, THEY'VE LED LEGIONS,
THEY'VE CONTROLLED PROVINCES, THEY'D LED ARMIES TO WAR,
SOPHISTICATED, WELL-EDUCATED, CAPABLE, STERN, VIRTUOUS MEN.
AND THAT WE ARE TOLD
IS WHAT MOST BOTHERS COMMODUS ABOUT THEM.
Narrator: THE BROTHERS WERE FRIENDS OF MARCUS AURELIUS,
AND AS A CHILD COMMODUS WAS OFTEN A GUEST IN THEIR HOUSE.
LITTLE DID THEY KNOW HIS LOVE FOR IT WOULD PROVE FATAL.
Arya: IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
SO COMMODUS WOULD HAVE WALKED THROUGH THIS CORRIDOR
AS A CHILD.
Narrator: THERE WERE PRIVATE BATHS, GUEST WINGS AND ACRES OF GARDENS.
AS THE ORIGINAL MOSAICS SHOW,
THIS WAS A LUXURY PAD, AND THEY POLISH UP BEAUTIFULLY.
Arya: WITH THE WATER ON IT, IT LOOKS NEW.
OK, LET'S GO.
THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY THIS IS A DESIRABLE PROPERTY.
ITS LOCATION, NUMBER ONE.
THE STRUCTURE'S ALREADY HERE, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE,
IT'S LARGE, IT'S IMPOSING.
Narrator: COMMODUS WAS RUTHLESS.
HE'D DO ANYTHING TO GET WHAT HE WANTED...
AND HE WANTED THE VILLA.
Arya: WELL, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW,
COMMODUS GETS A HOLD OF THE VILLA
THE WAY IN WHICH HE GETS A HOLD OF ANYTHING THAT HE DESIRES--
HE SIMPLY CONFISCATES THE PROPERTY,
CHARGES THEM WITH HERESY...
WELL, THEY'RE PUT TO DEATH.
Narrator: THE VILLA WAS HIS,
BUT HIS CRIME DIDN'T GO UNNOTICED IN ROME.
Arya: WELL, IT WAS PRETTY SHOCKING,
HE CAN GET AWAY WITH A LOT
AND SIMPLY SAY, "HEY, THAT PERSON WAS BAD," AND THAT'S IT.
BUT IT SEEMS THAT THE PUBLIC WAS VERY, VERY VOCAL
ABOUT, "HEY, HE JUST WANTED THE PROPERTY."
Narrator: COMMODUS COULDN'T WAIT TO RENOVATE HIS NEW VILLA.
HERE COMMODUS STARTED TO LIVE OUT HIS GLADIATOR FANTASIES.
HE'D BUILT A MINIATURE GLADIATORIAL ARENA, A LUDUS.
Arya: YOU CAN IMAGINE HIM HERE WITH HIS MASTER OF ARMS,
NARCISSUS, WHO'S GOING TO BE TEACHING HIM THE BEST MOVES
AND TEACHING HIM TO BE THE GREAT GUY
THAT'S GOING TO BE EVENTUALLY IN THE COLOSSEUM.
Narrator: NARCISSUS WAS ONE OF THE INSPIRATIONS
FOR RUSSELL CROWE'S CHARACTER MAXIMUS.
HE WASN'T JUST COMMODUS'S TEACHER--
HE WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME HIS DESTROYER.
BUT FIRST THEY SPARRED IN THE LUDUS AT THE VILLA.
Arya: THE LUDUS IS A VERY STRIKING STRUCTURE,
BUT IT IS SOMETHING GRANDIOSE, IT IS A GLADIATORIAL SCHOOL.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOME CHEAP KIND OF A GYM.
Narrator: IT WAS QUITE COMMON FOR NOBLE ROMANS
TO DO SOME MANLY SPARRING IN PRIVATE,
BUT TO FIGHT IN PUBLIC WOULD BREAK EVERY TABOO,
AND THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT COMMODUS WANTED TO DO.
Arya: SO HERE IS A PERSON
THAT ULTIMATELY WANTS TO BE VERY PUBLIC,
HE WANTS TO SHOW OFF WHO HE IS.
Narrator: WHILE COMMODUS WAS BUSY GETTING INTO SHAPE AS A GLADIATOR,
THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO HIM WERE PLOTTING TO GET RID OF HIM.
IN THE MOVIE, LUCILLA, HIS OLDER SISTER,
STARTS AS HIS CLOSEST CONFIDANTE UNTIL SHE TURNS AGAINST HIM.
Lucilla: YOU COWARD!
Narrator: IN REAL LIFE,
LUCILLA WAS QUICK TO START PLOTTING COMMODUS'S DEATH.
SHE HAD ONCE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN IN THE EMPIRE.
Arya: COMMODUS IS NOW THE EMPEROR,
SO NOW LUCILLA,
WHO'S BEEN ENJOYING THIS STATUS AS THE EMPRESS,
IS KIND OF IN A SECOND POSITION
AND APPARENTLY THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOTIVATIONS ON HER PART
TO THEN REMOVE COMMODUS SO THAT SHE CAN ENJOY FRONT ROW SEAT
AND THAT FIRST CLASS TREATMENT THAT SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY ENJOYED.
Narrator: IN THE MOVIE SHE HESITATES,
IN REAL LIFE SHE WAS BRAVER.
SHE PERSUADED HER LOVER TO TRY TO KILL COMMODUS.
Arya: AND THIS CONSPIRACY INVOLVES PEOPLE IN THE SENATE.
ULTIMATELY WHEN COMMODUS IS GOING OFF TO THE COLOSSEUM,
IT'S AT ONE POINT
THAT A SENATOR JUMPS OUT IN THE CORRIDOR.
Goldsworthy: THE IDEA IS TO KILL COMMODUS AT THE GAMES.
BUT THE MAN WHO'S CHOSEN FOR THE JOB
DECIDES TO CHOOSE DRAMA OVER EFFICIENCY
AND PULLS OUT HIS KNIFE
AND YELLS OUT, "THIS IS FROM THE SENATE!"
INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY JUST KILLING THE EMPEROR.
THE MAN IS EXECUTED--
VERY QUICKLY LOTS OF OTHER ARRESTS ARE MADE.
LUCILLA IS EXILED, FIRST OF ALL, TO THE ISLE OF CAPRI.
Narrator: LUCILLA'S EXILE DIDN'T LAST LONG--
ONCE SHE WAS OUT OF SIGHT, COMMODUS HAD HER KILLED.
BUT THE PLOT SEEMED TO PUSH COMMODUS OVER THE EDGE.
Arya: IN REACTION TO THIS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT,
COMMODUS TENDS TO BE A LITTLE MORE STANDOFFISH
AS TIME GOES FROM THE DEALINGS OF THE SENATE,
FROM EVEN THE DEALINGS IN ROME.
HE'S CONCENTRATING MORE AND MORE ON THE GAMES
AND TRAINING AS A GLADIATOR.
Narrator: IT WAS NOW THAT COMMODUS STARTED
TO TURN INTO THE POWER-CRAZED EMPEROR HISTORY WOULD REMEMBER.
HIDDEN AWAY IN HIS VILLA, HE COULD DO WHAT HE LIKED, FOR NOW.
THE VILLA OFFERED EVERY LUXURY, BUT ALSO CONCEALED DARK SECRETS.
IT WAS RUMORED THAT AFTER LUCILLA'S DEATH
HE SLEPT WITH HIS OTHER THREE SISTERS.
Arya: OF COURSE THEN YOU HAVE ALL THIS MONEY,
SO YOUR *** EXPERIENCES, YOUR BANQUETS, YOUR DRINKING,
IT'S ALL GONNA BE OVER THE TOP.
Narrator: EVERYTHING COMMODUS DID WAS OUT OF CONTROL.
THERE WAS NO ONE TO STOP HIM.
RIGHT HERE IN HIS LUXURY DINING ROOM,
COMMODUS WOULD PLAY REVOLTING PRACTICAL JOKES ON HIS GUESTS.
Arya: THIS APPEARS TO BE A MAGNIFICENT ROUND DINING ROOM AREA
TO BE USED SPECIFICALLY IN THE SUMMER.
Goldsworthy: THERE ARE WILD STORIES OF HIM
INVITING PEOPLE TO DINNER
AND MIXING IN HUMAN EXCREMENT WITH THE FOOD
AND MAKING THEM EAT IT TO SEE THE REACTION--
THEN EATING SOME OF IT HIMSELF
TO SORT OF LURE THEM INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
AND MAKE THEM--AND THINKING, THIS IS A GREAT JOKE.
SO THERE IS A SENSE OF SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR THRILLS.
Narrator: WHILE THE ROMAN SENATE
WAS GETTING WORRIED ABOUT COMMODUS'S BAD BEHAVIOR,
THE EMPEROR PUT ON MORE AND MORE GAMES--
GAMES THAT LASTED 117 DAYS, BRUTAL GAMES--
GAMES WITH MORE BLOOD AND MORE DEATH THAN EVER BEFORE.
[SWORDS CLANGING, CROWD CHEERING]
THERE'S NOTHING IN THE MODERN WORLD
QUITE LIKE THE ANCIENT ROMAN GAMES.
IN THE VERY HEART OF ROME AT THE VAST 80,000-SEAT COLOSSEUM,
A CROWD WOULD GATHER TO WATCH GLADIATORS FIGHT TO THE DEATH.
[CROWD CHEERING]
JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE,
THE GLADIATORIAL GAMES WERE ROME'S FAVORITE DAY OUT.
A DAY OUT LIKE NOTHING WE KNOW IN THE MODERN WORLD.
Arya: THEY'RE USED TO BLOOD, THEY'RE USED TO SEEING IT,
THEY'RE USED TO HAVING SLAVES.
THEY'RE USED TO SEEING PEOPLE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL THE TIME
AS PUNISHMENT FOR DOING SOMETHING WRONG.
BUT HERE IT'S TAKEN UP TO AN ART FORM.
Narrator: BUT DOWN BELOW THE ARENA THERE WAS ANOTHER WORLD
WHERE THE STARS OF THE SHOW, THE GLADIATORS, PREPARED THEMSELVES.
THESE WERE PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS
TREATED LIKE HIGHLY PAID ATHLETES.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Susanna Shadrake: THE HOLLYWOOD CONCEPT IS THAT IT WAS A DISASTER
BECAUSE YOU WERE ALWAYS GONNA FIGHT SOMEBODY
YOU'D BEEN EATING A MEAL WITH THE NIGHT BEFORE.
AND THAT COULD HAPPEN.
GONNA HAVE TO BE A TENSE TIME FOR ANYBODY.
Coulston: A BIT LIKE OLYMPIC ATHLETES NOW,
THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BOUTS,
AND THIS IS WHAT THEY'VE TRAINED FOR.
Narrator: THEN THE GLADIATORS WAITED THEIR TURN.
Susanna Shadrake: YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BUILD-UP
OF EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION.
Narrator: AT LAST, TO THE ROAR OF THE CROWD,
THE GLADIATORS EMERGED THROUGH THE GATE OF LIFE
INTO THE ARENA.
Susanna Shadrake: AND A WHOLE DIFFERENT WORLD IS OUT THERE,
THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO LIVE OR TO DIE.
Narrator: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING,
WIN OR LOSE, WAS TO PUT ON A GOOD SHOW.
Edwards: I THINK IF YOU FOUGHT WELL AS A GLADIATOR,
THERE WASN'T ANY SHAME IN BEING DEFEATED.
Narrator: NOT EVERY FIGHT ENDED WITH A FATAL WOUND.
IF A GLADIATOR WAS BROUGHT DOWN OR INJURED,
THERE WAS ONE CHANCE FOR MERCY.
HE COULD SURRENDER, BUT IT WAS ONLY A CHANCE.
[GLADIATORS GRUNTING]
Susanna Shadrake: THE LESS SUCCESSFUL ONE MAY PLEAD FOR MERCY
BY RAISING A FINGER, A WAY OF SAYING,
HOW DID YOU THINK I DID? CAN I WALK OUT OF HERE TODAY?
Crowd: KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Narrator: WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE
WHAT GESTURE SEALED THE GLADIATOR'S FATE...
MOST PEOPLE IMAGINE IT WAS THUMBS UP OR DOWN,
BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE ANCIENT SOURCE FOR THAT
AND IT SEEMS UNLIKELY SUCH A SMALL GESTURE
WOULD SIGNAL LIFE OR DEATH.
Susanna Shadrake: IF THEY WANTED SOMEONE TO GET THE KILLING BLOW,
IT WOULD BE A THRUSTING FORWARD OF THE THUMB
AND PERHAPS A CRY OF "JUGULA" FOR, "CUT HIS THROAT."
Crowd: KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Narrator: IT WAS A MOMENT OF INTENSE POWER,
THE DEFEATED GLADIATOR LIES ON THE GROUND
WAITING TO HEAR HIS FATE.
HAS HE BEEN BRAVE ENOUGH FOR THE CROWD TO SAVE HIM?
Coulston: IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE
WITH MODERN CONCEPTS OF CRUELTY, BRAVERY, AND PITY.
FOR THE MOST PART, FROM OUR VIEWPOINT,
IT IS A STILL A BLOOD FEST.
Edwards: THEY MAY SOMETIMES HAVE FELT, YOU KNOW,
WE HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH DEATH TODAY
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME WE HAD ONE.
Narrator: IF THE DECISION WAS DEATH,
IT HAD TO BE FACED BRAVELY.
[CROWD CHEERING]
A GLADIATOR'S LAST JOB
WAS TO TEACH ROMANS HOW TO DIE WELL.
Edwards: YOU CAN HAVE A HEROIC DEATH
AND THAT SOMETIMES, THAT EVEN INVOLVES
KIND OF GUIDING THE SWORD TO YOUR THROAT.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Narrator: THE WINNER OF THE FIGHT WOULD BE OVERCOME WITH RELIEF.
HE KNEW HE HAD LIVED TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY.
Susanna Shadrake: THE GLADIATOR WHO SURVIVED,
I CAN'T IMAGINE ANY GREATER MOMENT
THAN GOING BACK OUT THROUGH THE ARCH OF THE GATE OF LIFE,
AND THAT'S PROBABLY QUITE ADDICTIVE.
Narrator: JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE,
THE ULTIMATE REWARD FOR SUCCESS WAS THE WOODEN SWORD,
THE GIFT OF FREEDOM.
Coulston: PEOPLE DID SURVIVE AND GET THE WOODEN SWORD
BUT IN VERY SMALL NUMBERS, PROBABLY.
AND I CAN'T EXPECT MOST OF THESE PEOPLE TO LIVE BEYOND 30.
Narrator: IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
ONLY ONE EMPEROR ACTUALLY TOOK PART IN THE GAMES--
COMMODUS.
HE DIDN'T JUST PUT ON GAMES, HE FOUGHT IN THEM.
Goldsworthy: HE STARTS SOMETIMES ACTING AS THE REFEREE
AND ACTING AS THE MAN WHO PATROLS THE FIGHTS.
THEN HE STARTS TAKING PART IN BOUTS, AGAIN OF FANCY,
NOT TO THE DEATH.
AND IT BUILDS UP TO BECOME MORE AND MORE VIOLENT,
THE EMPEROR'S STARTING TO INFLICT REAL HARM ON PEOPLE,
QUITE GRADUALLY.
Narrator: COMMODUS WASN'T SATISFIED
WITH KNOWING HE WAS A GREAT FIGHTER IN PRIVATE,
HE WANTED TO BE A GLADIATOR IN FRONT OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF ROME,
BUT OF COURSE HE WOULDN'T BE JUST A NORMAL GLADIATOR.
Arya: TO HAVE THE EMPEROR HIMSELF GO INTO THE ARENA
AS A GLADIATOR, IT'S LIKE, IT'S TOTALLY UNHEARD OF.
THEY SAY THAT PEOPLE CAME FLOCKING TO THE COLOSSEUM--
I WANNA SEE THIS WITH MY OWN EYES.
Narrator: BUT IT WOULDN'T TAKE LONG
FOR THE CROWD TO DISCOVER HIS FIGHTS WERE FIXED.
JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE, COMMODUS HANDICAPPED HIS OPPONENT.
IT WAS A FATAL INSULT TO THE MORAL CODE OF THE ARENA.
Goldsworthy: COMMODUS HAS REAL WEAPONS, HE'S FULLY PREPARED,
YOU KNOW, HIS SWORD HAS THE SHARPEST EDGE
THAT ANYONE CAN PUT ON IT.
HIS OPPONENT HAS A BLUNT WEAPON, MAYBE IT'S MADE OF LEAD,
MAYBE IT'S TIPPED WITH LEAD,
MAYBE IT JUST HAS A SORT OF BUTTON ON THE END OF THE SWORD
SO THAT THE POINT WON'T WORK.
IT PROBABLY ISN'T SHARPENED AT ALL
SO HIS OPPONENT CAN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING BACK.
Narrator: IN THE FILM THERE IS BARELY A REACTION
TO THE IDEA OF COMMODUS FIGHTING IN THE ARENA.
IN REALITY THIS WAS A SHOCKING BREAK
WITH EVERY SOCIAL TABOO IN THE ROMAN WORLD,
AND PEOPLE WERE BEGINNING TO QUESTION HIS REIGN AS EMPEROR.
Coulston: THE EMPEROR COMMODUS STANDS OUT
AS REALLY QUITE UNUSUAL
IN HIS OBSESSION WITH GLADIATORIAL GAMES.
TAKING PART WAS A BIT OF A NO-NO.
COMMODUS'S ROLE AS A GLADIATOR
FUNDAMENTALLY WEAKENED HIS POSITION.
Narrator: IN THE MOVIE COMMODUS DIED IN THE ARENA,
BUT THE REAL GLADIATOR EMPEROR
WOULD MEET A FAR MORE HUMILIATING FATE.
192 A.D.
COMMODUS HAD BEEN ON THE THRONE FOR 12 LONG YEARS.
HE WAS INCREASINGLY UNPOPULAR.
HE SPENT HIS DAYS HIDDEN AWAY IN THE VILLA QUINTILII
ON THE EDGE OF ROME.
EVEN PUTTING ON GLADIATOR GAMES DIDN'T KEEP THE PEOPLE HAPPY.
NEW YEAR'S EVE: THE MOST SOLEMN DAY IN THE ROMAN CALENDAR--
THE EMPEROR HAD TO CONDUCT RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
TO ENSURE A GOOD YEAR.
Arya: IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR,
YOU'RE APPEASING THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD,
YOU'RE ABOUT TO START THE YEAR ANEW.
Narrator: FOR THIS SACRED OCCASION,
COMMODUS PLANNED TO DRESS HIMSELF UP AS A GLADIATOR.
Goldsworthy: TRAMPLING ON ALL OF ROME'S SACRED TRADITIONS,
SO IT'S BECOME A SITUATION WHERE HE HAS BECOME
SO STAGGERINGLY BAD
THAT REALLY NO ONE VERY MUCH WANTS HIM AT ALL.
Narrator: FOR THE ROMANS,
IT WAS AS BAD AS ALL HIS MURDERS PUT TOGETHER--
AN INSULT CRYING OUT FOR VENGEANCE.
Edwards: WHAT REALLY MOTIVATED THE ASSASSINS
WAS THE FACT THAT HE WANTED TO BE INAUGURATED AS CONSUL
DRESSED AS A GLADIATOR.
Narrator: AS PART OF THE FESTIVITIES,
COMMODUS PLANNED TO EXECUTE ROME'S CHIEF MAGISTRATES.
HE ALSO PLANNED TO KILL HIS OWN MISTRESS, MARCIA.
AND THAT WAS HIS FATAL MISTAKE.
Goldsworthy: COMMODUS EXECUTES AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE,
IN THE MAIN, COMMODUS KEEPS KILLING FAMOUS PEOPLE,
THEN HE SEEMS TO START KILLING AT RANDOM.
HE STARTS TO TARGET THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM,
HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD, NOT JUST THE SENATE,
AND THEY GET NERVOUS.
Narrator: MARCIA FOUND THE LIST OF PEOPLE TO BE KILLED
AND SAW HER OWN NAME WAS ON IT.
Goldsworthy: SO SHE TELLS THE OTHERS,
THEY REALIZE THAT IF THEY DON'T DO SOMETHING,
THEY'RE DEAD ANYWAY.
SO THEY REALLY HAVE NOTHING MORE TO LOSE.
THEY CAN GET TO THE EMPEROR,
BUT THERE'S STILL, IT'S QUITE DIFFICULT ACTUALLY TO KILL HIM.
Narrator: MARCIA AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD
DECIDE TO POISON COMMODUS THAT VERY NIGHT.
Goldsworthy: MARCIA IS ABLE TO GET POISON INTO HIS FOOD,
BUT THEN COMMODUS STARTS THROWING UP,
HE FEELS ILL AND THEY'RE WORRIED THAT HE'S GONNA SURVIVE
BECAUSE HE'S PROBABLY SPEWING OUT THE POISON
ALONG WITH THE MEAL ITSELF.
Narrator: COMMODUS STRUGGLED TO HIS PRIVATE BATHROOM AT THE VILLA,
UNSURE WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO HIM, TRYING TO RECOVER.
THE CONSPIRATORS WERE WORRIED HE MIGHT SURVIVE.
THEY SUMMONED THE ONE MAN
THEY KNEW WOULD BE ABLE TO FINISH HIM OFF,
THE MAN WHO HAD TRAINED HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE--
THE GLADIATOR NARCISSUS.
JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE, COMMODUS WAS TO BE KILLED BY A GLADIATOR.
Arya: IN THE END THE PERSON WHO DOES KILL HIM
IS SOMEONE WHO'S VERY PHYSICALLY FIT,
SOMEONE WHO'S EVEN HIS INSTRUCTOR,
RIGHT, SOMEONE WHO'S BETTER THAN HE IS...
CAN GET HIM ALONE IN AN INTIMATE MOMENT, LIKE IN THE BATHS,
NO WEAPONS.
Narrator: NARCISSUS FOLLOWED COMMODUS INTO THE BATHS,
THE INNER SANCTUM AT THE VILLA.
THIS WAS WHERE IT WAS ALL TO END.
THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK THEY HAVE DISCOVERED
THE ACTUAL BATHROOM AT THE VILLA QUINTILII
WHERE THE KILLING TOOK PLACE.
Arya: WOW, SO THIS IS AS INTIMATE AS IT GETS.
WE'RE HERE IN THE PRIVATE BATHS OF COMMODUS.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT COMMODUS WAS ACTUALLY KILLED
IN THIS VERY SPOT IN THE BATHS?
Woman: SI, E POSSIBILE.
Goldsworthy: COMMODUS DIES SECRETLY,
NOT, AS IN THE MOVIE, IN THE CENTER OF THE COLOSSEUM
KILLED BY RUSSELL CROWE.
Narrator: THE REIGN OF THE GLADIATOR EMPEROR WAS OVER,
ENDED NOT HONORABLY IN THE ARENA,
BUT DISGRACEFULLY IN THE BATH.
Edwards: I DON'T THINK COMMODUS HAD AN HONORABLE DEATH,
NOT VERY DIGNIFIED IN THE BATH, NO.
Narrator: AT FIRST PEOPLE WOULDN'T BELIEVE THE TYRANT WAS DEAD.
THEY WERE STILL SCARED OF COMMODUS.
Goldsworthy: THE MAN WHO'LL SUCCEED HIM,
PERTINAX, IS SUMMONED,
BUT AT FIRST DOESN'T BELIEVE THE EMPEROR'S DEAD,
THINKS IT'S JUST A TRICK OF COMMODUS
TO MAKE HIM REVEAL HIMSELF TO BE AMBITIOUS
SO THAT HE CAN BE EXECUTED.
AND UNTIL HE'S SEEN THE BODY
HE ISN'T WILLING TO ACCEPT OR SAY ANYTHING.
Narrator: PERTINAX WAS A SENATOR,
AND THE SENATE TRUSTED ONE OF THEIR OWN.
A BIT LIKE THE FILM'S MAXIMUS,
HE TRULY WAS A GENERAL AND A FRIEND OF MARCUS AURELIUS.
Goldsworthy: PERTINAX IS QUITE A REMARKABLE FIGURE,
AND IN SOME RESPECTS DOES MIRROR THE RUSSELL CROWE CHARACTER.
BUT PERTINAX WOULD ONLY LAST THREE MONTHS.
HE WAS MURDERED AND THE EMPIRE FELL INTO CHAOS
AS THE PRAETORIANS THEN STARTED AUCTIONING OFF
THE IMPERIAL THRONE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
CIVIL WAR WOULD FOLLOW FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
Narrator: BY THE TIME COMMODUS WAS DEAD
THE EMPIRE HAD SUFFERED 12 YEARS OF NEGLECT AND MISRULE.
NEVER AGAIN WOULD ROME ACHIEVE THE PEACE AND STABILITY
IT HAD SEEN UNDER MARCUS AURELIUS.
THE ROT HAD BEGUN.
Arya: A LOT OF HISTORIANS TEND TO PUT THE FINGER ON COMMODUS
AND SAY, "HE'S THE ONE WHO MISMANAGED THE EMPIRE,
THIS IS HIS FAULT."
Narrator: AND ALL BECAUSE
COMMODUS PREFERRED TO BE A GLADIATOR INSTEAD OF AN EMPEROR.
[CROWD CHEERING]
THE GAMES THEMSELVES CONTINUED
UNTIL THE ROMAN EMPIRE WAS CONQUERED BY THE BARBARIANS
200 YEARS AFTER COMMODUS'S DEATH.
THEY WOULD DIE OUT WITH THE EMPIRE THAT CREATED THEM.
THE STORY OF THE FILM GLADIATOR IS FICTION.
THE LIFE OF MAXIMUS, THE GENERAL WHO BECAME A SLAVE,
WHO BECAME A GLADIATOR, NEVER HAPPENED.
BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAMES,
THE MOVIE COMES CLOSE TO WHAT GLADIATORS MEANT
TO THE ROMANS WHO WATCHED THEM.
AND IN ITS VILLAIN, COMMODUS,
GLADIATOR SHOWS US A REAL HISTORICAL TYRANT
WHOSE OBSESSION WITH GLADIATORS
HELPED TRIGGER THE DECLINE OF ROME.