# Historical accuracy of "Gladiator" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812 "2002-08-14T08:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/1 "2002-08-14T08:10:46Z")
I was curious as to how close the main storyline of _Gladiator_ was to any historical references to that era. I know there was an Emperor named Marcus Aurelius, who is considered a philosopher leader. That’s as far as my knowledge goes. Did he have a son called Commodus who was suspected of his murder? Did a general ever become a slave / gladiator during his reign? Was the entire story complete fiction or did any aspects of it follow from real events? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/2 "2002-08-14T09:20:55Z")
Largely fiction, with a thin veneer of fact. Marcus Aurelius was indeed fighting the Germans ( specifically the Marcomanni ) in and around Austria/Bavaria when he died in 180 CE, but that war wasn’t yet won. His son Commodus Antoninus ( age 19 ) was with him when he died, hence rumors that he murdered his father, though he almost certainly didn’t. MA just got sick, stopped eating and died. Commodus was declared Emperor without opposition and quickly withdrew from his father’s war. He was definitely a bit unstable and prone to engaging in gladitorial combat ( which he apparently never lost at ) to reenforce his personal cult ( he was a megalomaniac who apparently considered himself a sort of living god and Hercules reborn ). But he actually appeared to have been fairly popular among the common folk for much of his reign and he relaxed the persecutions of the Christians pursued by his father. All in all he ruled for 12 years, surviving several botched assassination attempts, until one finally succeeded in 192 CE ( in part, perhaps, with the connivance of his mistress ) and he was strangled in his bath. His immediate successor was an administrator ( but like almost all administrators, had once been an officer ) of moderately humble birth, named Perdinax, but although he was apparently a capable man, he only lasted three months until he was killed in a confrontation with rebellious praetorian guards. His succesor didn’t last even that long. Eventually order was restored by Septimus Severus ( r.193-211 ). There were a number of soldier Emperors or would-be Emperors of modest birth, as well as a number with some variant of the name Maximus, but no compeititors of that sort during Commodus’ reign that I know of. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/3 "2002-08-14T09:26:53Z")
That truly was a superb and informative reply. Thanks a lot. Did you really just type that of the top of your head? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/4 "2002-08-14T09:35:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aro \* > > Did you really just type that of the top of your head? Not entirely :D. I had to check the exact dates, Perdinax’s name, and the details of Commodus’ megalomania and assassination. I also looked up all the variants of Maximus/Maximinus/Maxentius, etc., but decided not to list them. I did know the rough outlines though, history geek that I am. Try here: [http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm](http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm) - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/5 "2002-08-14T14:55:03Z")
More on Commodus: He was, in short, a nut. And researchers suspect he had his opponent hobbled in some way so that he could win. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/6 "2002-08-14T16:27:52Z")
According to the commentary track on the DVD of _Gladiator_, they weren’t very concerned about historical reality, but were more intent on creating a particular artistic vision based on 19th century French neo-classic art. For whatever that’s worth. It’s also basically a remake of _Fall of the Roman Empire_, which is a pretty entertaining movie from around 1962, with Alec Guiness, Christopher Plummer, Sophia Loren, James Mason. and some of the largest sets ever constructed. Probably the silliest thing in _Gladiator_ is the idea that Marcus Arelius planned to restore the Republic. Also, as I recall, Commodus was considered “Co-Emperor” in training for some time before Marcus’ death, so there wasn’t any question about his succession. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/7 "2002-08-15T01:07:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*More on Commodus: He was, in short, a nut. And researchers suspect he had his opponent hobbled in some way so that he could win. \*\* I have no cite for this now but I have read in multiple places that he was known to give his opponents lead or wood swords so he wouldn’t get hurt. As for accuracy in the story? Well, there WAS a Roman Empire. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/8 "2002-08-15T01:33:28Z")
Well, of _course_ he was nuts. You would be, too, if your parents had named you after a toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/9 "2002-08-15T02:55:23Z")
Hmmm…that might explain King John… ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/10 "2002-08-15T03:37:37Z")
**Aro** , you may be interested in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=29519&highlight=blok%2A) thread from back when the movie came out. There are a lot of good posts, many anachronisms pointed out. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/11 "2002-08-15T03:57:27Z")
[Commodus](http://www.chch.school.nz/mbc/commodus.htm) really was a wacko. The movie portrayed him as very effeminate, but in actuality, he thought he was (or wanted people to think that he was) Hercules, and participated in many gladiatorial matches (probably fixed). Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. A brief note on historical accuracy: there were some interesting touches. The Germans carried a lot of stuff modeled after real Celtic artifacts (not the same group, but pretty close and probably feasibly quite similar), though I thought they were a bit too tamed down. The Germans were kind of like berserkers or shock troops. They depended on generating fear, and I don’t think they were scary enough. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/12 "2002-08-15T11:06:00Z")
As a Roman art/architecure historian from Turkey I know tells his survey students, “Now, ehm. . Commodus. . . was . ehm. . . a certifiable lunatic.” Here’s a lovely scupture of him as [Hercules](http://www.bible-history.com/past/commodus_as_hercules.html) . What a nut! ---
**Author:** ![Funky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Funky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Funky)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/13 "2002-08-16T06:52:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fluiddruid \* > \*\* he thought he was (or wanted people to think that he was) Hercules, and participated in many gladiatorial matches (probably fixed). Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. > > \*\* The matches were fixed. His opponents were made to fight with swords made from lead (or so I heard).:eek: ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/14 "2002-08-16T14:13:04Z")
Of course, there isn’t a whole lot of evidence… would you want to go make a public record that you thoght a murderous lunatic was… (_gasp_) CHEATING!?!?! SO I suspect most people just ooked the other way. Sort of like Stalin. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-accuracy-of-gladiator/123812/15 "2002-08-16T21:06:07Z")
Another funny about Commodus…one of the last straws was that he insisted on giving his Emperor’s oration on the coming of the new year dressed in his gladiatorial armor and regalia. This was pretty much the equivalent of the President of the United States giving the State of the Union Address dressed in an NFL football uniform. So, they snuck a wrestler into his living quarters at night to strangle him.