Ridley Scott‘s “Gladiator II” is full of memorable action scenes, from a bloody showdown featuring CGI baboons to Paul Mescal outsmarting a charging rhino in the Roman Colosseum.
But did the Colosseum actually get flooded with water and sharks in real life?
For instance, “Gladiator II” features a character reading a newspaper 1,200 years before the invention of the printing press.
The “Gladiator II” naumachia raises the stakes by adding sharks, although that is unlikely to have happened in real life.
They could do that.” “Gladiator II” is now playing in theaters nationwide from Paramount Pictures.
The action sequences in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” are unforgettable, ranging from Paul Mescal outwitting a charging rhino in the Roman Colosseum to a bloody battle involving CGI baboons. One particularly bizarre set piece, however, in which the Colosseum is flooded with water and sharks, is certain to raise the most questions among viewers. To the amusement of the cruel emperors Geta (played by Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (played by Fred Hechinger), the gladiators arrive at the arena on a boat as a simulated sea battle is performed.
However, given that Scott frequently fudges the facts, it is reasonable to wonder if the Colosseum was truly inundated with water and sharks in real life. For example, 1,200 years before the printing press was invented, a character in “Gladiator II” reads a newspaper. Not to mention Scott’s film Napoleon, which was so full of historical errors that French historians criticized the filmmaker and accused him of “spitting in the face of French people.”. “”.
In “Gladiator II,” Scott is surprisingly staying true to history when it comes to the Colosseum sea battle. Naumachia was a type of ancient Roman theater in which flooded amphitheaters or basins where battles had already occurred were used to entertain audiences with sea battles. Soldiers and prisoners of war would battle it out until one side prevailed.
The earliest known naumachia was in 46 B. C. Some of them were eventually staged in the Colosseum after being approved by Julius Caesar. For example, it is thought that in 85 AD, Roman Emperor Domitian staged a naval conflict at the Colosseum. Sharks are added to the “Gladiator II” naumachia to up the ante, even though that is unlikely to have occurred in real life.
According to Chris Epplett, a professor of Greek and Roman history at the University of Lethbridge, sharks were never placed inside the Colosseum, though “there was a period when they could have flooded the arena floor,” he told Vulture. Before installing the entire basement, there was essentially a ten to twenty-year period, I believe, during which they could have flooded the floor and held exhibits featuring marine life and other things. “”.
During the premiere of “Alien: Romulus” earlier this year, Scott joked to Variety about the sharks, saying: “That’s easy.”. I responded, “You can build the Colosseum—how stupid are you?” when someone asked, “How do you get sharks in the Colosseum?” I mean, you catch a few sharks and throw them in. They could accomplish that. “”.
“Gladiator II” is currently showing in theaters across the country thanks to Paramount Pictures.
