The upcoming November release of Gladiator II has the Kelsey Museum thinking anew about the foremost athletes of the Roman world. In movies about gladiators, Hollywood often depicts enslaved men engaged in big, bloody fights with a significant death toll, but what was life in the arena really like? Who were these gladiators, and how were they viewed by Roman society? “Gladiators: Life in the Arena”—opening November 19 at the Kelsey—seeks to offer a deeper, more authentic insight into their world.
Roman gladiators were human beings with complex stories. They could be enslaved individuals, but they also could be free men and even women. The Kelsey’s exhibition will show how they trained, lived, and survived in an arena where the mortality rate was much lower than one might think. Learn about their celebrity status, the care they received from on-site medics, and the calculated risks they took—paralleling athletes who participate in full-contact sports today.
Objects on display will include historically accurate armor replicas, a brick from the Colosseum, funeral monuments of known gladiators, and gladiatorial memorabilia from the Kelsey’s collection—not so different from today’s Block M–branded collectibles. The exhibition will also connect to other displays in the museum, examining such topics as a gladiatorial diet and the construction of the Colosseum.
The Kelsey at the Movies
We are partnering with Marquee Arts of the Michigan and State Theaters for a special screening of Gladiator II on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Learn more and attend.
