Maximus
...h he was rather immobile. Bestiarius was more of a hunter who fought with wild animals brought in from around the Empire, and Equites fought on horseback and used a powerful lance. Equites also carried a round shield (NBCi). Gladiators fought in such spectacles as The Colosseum. The Colosseum was one of ancient Rome's most famous buildings. The Colosseum was known as The Flavian Amphitheater and got its' name from a huge statue of the Emperor Nero. During Emperor Vespasian's reign, the games became extremely popular and as a result, Emperor Vespasian decided to begin construction of The Colosseum. The Colosseum became the center of Rome and was opened in 80 A.D. The Colosseum had a capacity of 45,000. Seats in The Colosseum were numbered and reserved but everyone knew where their places were. Senators and wealthy men claimed the lower tiers while the poor and the women sitting in the upper tiers. These illustrious and non-illustrious spectators decided the fate of the gladiators. When a gladiator had beaten his opponent, the spectators would wave their handkerchiefs if they wished to let the defeated man live, and turn their thumbs downward if they wanted the man to die. "Rising up out of the Italian sands, these warriors of antiquity captured the obsession of the Roman populace through their ferocious displays of combat. Beginning as mere footnotes to a grand funeral celebration, the gladiator's popularity rose to unparallel proportions, drawing tens of thousands of spectators as they spilled the blood of their own comrades. Mixing brutal carnage with the grace and skill of armed combat, these men and women of the arena won fame, wealth, adoration and in some cases their freedom. However, these rewards came at a tremendous price, for the gladiators paid with their blood and often their lives." (NBCi) The movie, "Gladiator" directed by Ridley Scott encaptures and brings to life some of the mystique of the Old Roman Empire and The Colosseum. Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a fearless general who earns the respect of his troops, the admiration of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and the angry resentment of the Emperor's son, Commodus. The movie begins in Germania with Maximus leading his armies in a final battle to suppress a barbarian opposition. Later, he is called into the Emperor's tent, where Aurelius tells Maximus that he wants him to lead Rome when he dies instead of his son, Commodus. ...