The Parco archeologico del Colosseo presents the exhibition event ‘Gladiators in the Arena. Between Colosseum and Ludus Magnus‘, curated and realised by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo with Alfonsina Russo, Federica Rinaldi, Barbara Nazzaro and Silvano Mattesini. The event consists of a permanent multimedia installation and a temporary exhibition that can be visited from 21st July 2023 to 7th January 2024 inside the underground level of the Colosseum.

The idea for this initiative stems first of all from the recovery and valorisation of the eastern cryptoporticus of the Colosseum, which in Roman times connected the Arena with the area of the gymnasiums built by the Emperor Domitian, of which the most famous is the Ludus Magnus, the largest, but also the only one of which part of the ancient structures is still preserved. Here, gladiators trained and prepared for performances.

In the 19th century, the construction of a sewer serving the densely populated Esquiline district interrupted this ancient connection, which is now finally being restored: thanks to a sophisticated multimedia presentation with holographic projection, perfectly oriented on the Colosseum-Ludus Magnus axis, the wall interrupting the connection will be virtually ‘demolished’, thus giving the public a unified vision of the contemporary archaeological area, while the gladiators will return to the original opus spicatum floor of the cryptoporticus, advancing towards the Arena dressed in their heavy armour.

To make this experience of knowledge and appreciation even more complete, the reopening of the Cryptoporticus of the Gladiators will be narrated together with a temporary exhibition that intends to illustrate a selection of the main types of gladiator pairs that performed in combat on the floor of the Arena and that in all probability came from the Ludus Magnus and the neighbouring barracks to the Colosseum.

The exhibition, which winds its way through some of the areas of the underground level, combines original artefacts from the Roman era, which reproduce images of gladiators caught in typical combat positions, with reconstructions of their armour, made using the ancient technique of repoussé and casting by Master Silvano Mattesini.

Thus, it is possible to admire the complete armour of Murmillo and Thraex, next to the original helmets from Pompeii from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the precious amber miniature helmets from the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia and the funerary stele of Murmillo Quintus Sossius Albus, also from Aquileia. Furthermore, graffiti from the steps of the cavea of the Colosseum, in which the public of the time had depicted their favourites in combat, are on display to the public, along with the complete armours of a Retiarius and a Secutor. That of Hoplomachus with his typical round shield, opponent of the Murmillo, is displayed next to two statuettes from Aquileia, one of which in metal alloy. Finally, a video illustrates the stages of the armour reproductions, forged using ancient techniques, as part of an experimental archaeology project.

The lending museums

The exhibition brings together 12 artefacts from the Roman period from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia and the collections of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, as well as armours from the private collection of Silvano Mattesini.

Related planned activities

The numerous themes addressed in the exhibition event have been collected in a handy booklet in Italian and English, as well as in the new ‘Digital Exhibitions‘ section of the website www.colosseo.it, where they will be available in Italian, English and Spanish and downloadable from a qrcode placed at the beginning of the tour.

In addition, a cycle of eight meetings and conferences is planned for the autumn, which aim to examine the themes highlighted in the exhibition with experts in the field, starting with the latest studies on the Ludus Magnus, delving into the legal aspects of gladiature, ancient images and sources, and ending with a focus on gladiator women and the modern perception of the gladiator in the world of cinema, comics and entertainment tout court.

The exhibition and the multimedia installation have been made possible thanks to the partnership between the Parco archeologico del Colosseo and the Hornblower Group, a leading US transportation and tourism company, founded in 1926 in Boston.