Gladiator II features a naval battle held in the Colosseum. These brutal spectacles really happened

By Craig Barker, Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney

It’s one of the most thrilling sequences in Ridley Scott’s new film Gladiator II, the long-awaited sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning blockbuster.

Water gushes from the Colosseum’s fountains and floods the arena. A crew of men led by the film’s hero, Lucius Verus (played by Paul Mescal), row a warship while firing arrows at another ship. Sharks loom in the surrounding water, while the Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) watches on laughing.

It’s Hollywood’s…

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