Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Gladiator II.
Historian Lauren D. Ginsberg addresses the accuracy ofGladiator II’s rhinoceros and baboons. After being captured and enslaved by the Romans,Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) and several other captives are tossed into an arena with feral baboonsto see if they have what it takes to be a gladiator. Later on, when Lucius and otherGladiator IIcharactersfight in the much larger arena of the Colosseum, they face many deadly threats, including a charging rhinoceros ridden by a gladiator.
While speaking withToday, Ginsberg, who is a professor of classical studies and theater studies at Duke University,reveals how realistic it was for a rhinoceros and baboons to be included in Ancient Rome’s gladiator games. She explains that rhinoceroses were popular to include in the gladiator games in the Colosseum and other Roman arenas. However, there is no historical evidence that confirms a rhinoceros was ever ridden by a gladiator. As for the baboons, she says that there is evidence of monkeys being used, but they were never the games' most popular animals. Check out her comments below:
[Rhinoceroses] look interesting, but also because they’re really angry creatures, or at least the way they were treated made them very angry in the arena, so they were often unpredictable, which was exciting.
No one was riding these wild animals. And part of that is that these were highly trained, very valuable athletes, so you don’t actually want to put them in harm’s way.
The one reference that I found was Antoninus Pius was, at that time, credited with giving, like, the biggest possible Roman games of all time, which every emperor got, so every time it had to be more. He brought monkeys from Africa, but they don’t seem to have been the highlight of that show. They were there, but they weren’t the most famous animals. He also had rhinoceroses. And people were more into them.
There was a whole industry of people from, like, the moment you decided, “I want an elephant from Africa,” that would be in charge of getting it, storing it, transporting it on a boat, getting it to where it needs to be, under the Colosseum, making sure it doesn’t die, and then making sure it’s ready to go out and give people the show that you want.
Gladiators would never be handcuffed because they’re prized athletes. You came to watch them fight, and so handcuffing them would just not be interesting. But prisoners, you absolutely wanted them to have no escape, and you also wanted them to die in the most dehumanizing way possible. As I tell my students, the Romans are jerks. Very interesting, but they’re jerks.
What This Means For Gladiator II
The Real History Enhances The Movie
Gladiator IIis meant to be more of an entertaining historical epic than an accurate adaptation of Roman history. In this sense, the sequel is a successful movie, especially given some of the ways in which it is accurate. Ginsberg’s comments highlight that rhinoceroses were used and were a popular choice, although this is embellished with the inaccurate inclusion of a gladiator riding the creature. The baboons being less popular than the rhinoceroses is also consistent with the movie, asLucius faces a rhinoceros in the Colosseum and the baboons in a much smaller arena.
Gladiator 2 Ending Explained: Whose Hand Is That?
Gladiator 2’s ending is filled with epic action sequences, sword fights, and changing loyalties, as well as a familiar hand brushing fields of grain.
From Lucius to Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, many of the characters are based on or inspired byreal historical figures inGladiator II.The cruelty of Emperor Geta, Emperor Caracalla, and of the gladiator games is consistent with Ginsberg’s underlying lessonthat"the Romans are jerks.“Regardless of whether the rhinoceros was being ridden by a gladiator, or if the gladiators were handcuffed, the dehumanization and ruthless spectacle behind the gladiator games remains the same in reality and in fiction.
Our Take On Lauren D. Ginsberg’s Comments
Gladiator II’s Historical Elements Are Benefical On Multiple Levels
Ginsberg’s comments are a fascinating look into howGladiator II’s use of wild animals is not as exaggerated as one might assume. The blockbuster sequel is beneficial to generating more interest in history, as it leads to natural curiosity about the historical accuracy or lack thereof when it comes to the gladiator games and with individuals likeEmperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla.Gladiator IIis an entertaining action spectacle that also contains elements of history and has something meaningful to say about corrupt politics.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
