Lost Luggage and the Art of Traveling Light

The referee coming down the cryptoporticus, ready to supervise today’s fights.

As a Parco Archeologico del Colosseo member, I had the privilege of a private tour of the Colosseum focusing on the exclusive “Gladiators in the Arena” exhibit. This remarkable exhibition, nestled in the Colosseum’s underground, resurrects the fierce world of Roman gladiators. It intertwines ancient artifacts with cutting-edge multimedia installations that bring the past into the present for you to experience in the flesh!

The Legacy of Roman Gladiators

Gladiators who performed for audiences at Rome’s Colosseum, often slaves or prisoners but sometimes volunteers, trained rigorously in schools like the Ludus Magnus. They came in various styles, such as the sword-and-shield Murmillo and the net-wielding Retiarius. Battles weren’t always lethal, outcomes depended on performance and crowd favor. Successful gladiators could gain fame and even freedom, epitomizing Roman ideals of courage and stoicism.

A view of the Ludus Magnus from The Court, a fantastic bar with creative drinks and great appetizers.

Attending Lectures in the Old Senate Building

Along with the arena tour, PArCo members also had the opportunity to attend 8 different lectures at the Curia Iulia. Built by Julius Caesar in 44 BC as a part of his reorganization of the Roman Forum, the Curia Iulia was a meeting place of the Roman Senate. Today it is a large exhibit hall that hosts lectures and artifacts where I attended a lecture on the women who were gladiators. While it was all in Italian, I feel like I got the gist of each artifact that was discussed.

Something Things Seem to Never Change

One slide I dug into a little more was the one that had a mosaic of a gladiator fighting a leopard and two quotes from Cassius Dio:

Cassius Dio 75, 8, 2: (Septimius Severus, 197 A.D.): Wasn’t there perhaps also one of you, an elderly man who was a consul who the day before yesterday in Ostia was publicly fighting against a prostitute who pretended to be a panther?

Cassius Dio 75, 16 (Septimius Severus, 200 A.D.): And in this, they also fought some women who competed with great daring, so much so as to make the other women who belonged to the most clavate ranks object of ridicule. For this reason from then on it was forbidden for women to perform in a gladiatorial fight.

So, because the men couldn’t keep themselves from ridiculing the women, women were punished and were no longer allowed to be gladiators. (Side note, my personal “Roman Empire” is noting how some things are very similar today as they were during the actual Roman Empire)

Some slides from the Donne e Arena lecture in December. Top left, the title slide of the lecture. Botton left, Marmoreo relief from Halicarnassus with gladiators Amazon and Achillea, in a fight that ended in a tie. Top right, a bronze statuette of a gladiator with subligaculum, fascia and sica. Bottom right, a mosaic of a gladiator fighting a leopard with the quotes from Dio above it.

The Roman Forum All to Myself

It was a cool experience just to be at the lecture. The Curia Iulia is inside the Roman Forum and the lecture concluded after visiting hours, so as I walked out, it felt like I had the whole park to myself. This allowed me a few minutes to take some photos of the forum as it was lit up for the evening. The photos don’t do it justice, it was such a beautiful sight (site!) to behold.

Night at the Forum, looking at the Domus Tiberiana on the left, Temple of Saturn and Arch of Septimius Severus, and looking towards the Temple of Castor and Pollux from the forum.

Merging Past with Present in One Exhibition

While it seems to me that the Colosseum museum curator “forgot” to include the women gladiators in the special gladiator exhibit itself, it was still fantastic. We first gathered in the cryptoporticus that connected the gladiators’ training area called the Ludus Magnus to the Colosseum. Looking down the corridor, there is a transparent screen installed, and you can still look down the tunnel and see quite a bit. Then the lights dimmed, the screen lit up, and out walked gladiators and referees like it’s a starting lineup before a sportsball matchgame! My photos did not come out great, but you can see better images from Katatexilux, the production company that created the video, here.

Secutor class of gladiator who carries a large shield and wears a large helmet. Summa Rudis, the referee. Provocator class of gladiator who also carries a large shield and wears a large helmet adorned with two large feathers on each side.

The exhibition had other videos of contemporary artisans recreating the items in the exhibition using techniques the Romans used thousands of years ago. The displays were gorgeous, and against the backdrop of the Colosseum, I was in Museum Nerd Heaven! There were a few original artifacts that depicted the gladiators in action and a funeral stele. See the Colosseum’s page on the exhibition for more history and information!

Some of the gladiator displays on the arena floor.

The tour ended looking out over the arena. There were probably only 40 people on this private tour, and it was after hours. This meant that we had the whole Colosseum to ourselves! It was such a cool experience. As I exited the gates after the tour, a tourist outside asked me if I worked at the Colosseum as I was leaving. That also felt great! I told her no, but in my head, I added, “Not yet.”

Me, with the Colosseum all to myself!