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COMMODUS AND THE GLADIATORS
THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVIE
GLADIATOR
| For more Stories Behind the Movies See the Story Directory |
| STORY CHAPTER LINKS |
| 1. STORY PREFACE |
| 2. MARCUS AURELIUS |
| 3. HIS LEGACY |
| 4. COMMODUS - IN CHARGE |
| 5. THE ROMAN GAMES |
| 6. COMMODUS IN THE ARENA |
| 7. THUMBS DOWN FOR COMMODUS |
| 8. USED AND RECOMMENDED SOURCES |
Hail, Caesar,
Those about to die
Salute thee
(Or, in Latin, the language
of the day:
Ave Imperator,
morituri te salutant)
Suetonius,
Historian of Ancient Rome
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Usually "those about to die" in the Roman Colosseum were condemned prisoners, professional gladiators, Christians, or animals. The spectacle of the "games" was often bloody, a tradition started in Rome by its earlier conquerors, the Etruscans. But not until the reign of Commodus (180-192 AD) did Roman citizens witness wholesale slaughter by a Caesar himself, dressed as a gladiator and acting like a madman. Who was this Emperor, this Caesar, who thought of himself as a god?
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