Yes, Gladiator 2's Colosseum Naval Battles Really Happened: What To Know & What's Changed

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gladiator 2.Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel Gladiator II is undoubtedly a marvel and already a box office hit days before the US Gladiator II release. The director of the classic swords-and-sandals epic has not lost his knack for balancing historical inspiration with grandiose spectacle. The ramped-up elements of the long-awaited sequel have been the subject of fierce debate regarding how many Gladiator II details are real.




One of these events is the recreation of a naval battle, and its representation in Gladiator II is a cinematic first. This followed a fight with monkeys earlier in the film, along with Gladiator II’s mounted rhinoceros, contributing to increased escalation and high stakes. This incredible production in the movie has made some people skeptical, but it has its basis in history. The term “naumachia” in ancient Rome referred to both the spectacle of a staged naval battle and the venue where it was held. This Latin word, derived from the Greek “naumachía,” literally means “naval combat.”


When Naval Battles In The Colosseum Started & Ended

Caesar Held The First Known Naumachia In Ancient Rome


To commemorate his quadruple triumph in 46 BC, Julius Caesar unleashed the spectacle of the first known naval battle recreation, known as “naumachia”. A vast basin, capable of hosting real warships, was dug near the Tiber. Two thousand prisoners of war were forced to fight as combatants, while four thousand more rowed the vessels in this brutal display of power. Most of the 20 known artistic depictions of naumachia date to the Roman Fourth Style period (Nero and Flavian dynasties). While textual evidence suggests that naumachia continued into the 5th century, their popularity waned after the Flavian era.

Even in modern times, the concept of the naumachia has been recreated…


However, this form of entertainment has persisted as an elaborate display. Notable examples include the naumachia held for Henry II of France in Rouen and the one staged in Florence to celebrate a royal wedding. In England, the Thames River served as the stage for a naumachia during the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate in 1613. It was also revived on a smaller scale by Georgian aristocrats. Even in modern times, the concept of the naumachia has been recreated, as demonstrated by New York artist Duke Riley’s contemporary art installation in 2009 (New York Times).

How Was The Colosseum Flooded For Naval Battles?

Naumachiae Techniques Included Digging Basin Shapes With Drainage


Staging a naumachia was a complex engineering feat, particularly in venues like the Colosseum, which required rapid transitions between land and water. This is where archaeological evidence is difficult. While Roman writers offer little technical detail, archaeological evidence from Verona and Mérida reveals the underlying infrastructure: a basin beneath the arena floor, connected to an aqueduct for rapid flooding, and drainage channels for quick removal of water. Whether the same techniques were used in the Colosseum is uncertain.

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The difficulty of archeological evidence is because of evident renovations. According to Bad Ancient, “The Colosseum likely had a similar basin in its earliest phases, before Domitian heavily renovated the substructure”. There is evidence of runoffs built into the Colosseum, but these could just as easily have been for rainwater. What is clear is that naval battles were definitely staged on occasion at the Colosseum. The Roman poet Martial remarked on it: “Let not the naval warfare deceive you with its ships, and the water like to a sea: here but lately was land.”


What Ships Were Used In The Colosseum’s Naval Battles?

The Colosseum Space Would Have Needed Scaled-Down Ships

The ships used in these battles were often scaled-down replicas of real warships. The arena floor was flooded, creating a watery stage upon which elaborate sets were constructed. To enhance the realism of these spectacles, these sets depicted various maritime scenes, including harbors, islands, and even entire cities. The sheer scale and complexity of these productions required significant resources and engineering expertise, and is honored by Gladiator II’s massive practical sets. Staging these spectacles was therefore incredibly expensive. The ships had to be meticulously detailed and maneuvered like real warships in battle (The Colosseum).


As well as the Colosseum, naval battles were also staged in large bodies of water in ancient Rome. In these cases, the ships used could be less scaled-down because there were fewer maneuverability issues. In these battles, according to Bad Ancient, rafts were in use around the area of combat to put a stop to any escape attempts. The formidable Praetorian Guard manned these rafts.

Who Fought In The Naval Battles & Was It Gladiators?

Convicted Criminals Were Often Forced To Take Part


To crew these vessels, authorities often conscripted prisoners, slaves, or criminals sentenced to death. The battles were carefully choreographed, with the ships engaging in mock naval warfare using weapons like grappling hooks, catapults, and ballistae. Criminals were often pitted against each other. However, sometimes trained performers or even real sailors and soldiers were employed. The movie has the gladiators taking part in the naumachia; because of the hundreds of casualties these reenactments caused, it would make more sense to throw only their convicted and war-captive into this but, arguably, Gladiator II not being historically accurate is for the best.

Contrary to popular culture, it is these criminals, not gladiators, that the phrase “we who are about to die, salute you” comes from. This is evidenced by a naval reenactment. Emperor Claudius staged a mock naval battle on Fucine Lake, involving 100 ships manned by condemned criminals (Divus Claudius). One side represented Rhodes, the other Syracuse. Before the battle, a dramatic scene unfolded: all the condemned, facing the Emperor, uttered these words (Bad Ancient). On the contrary, gladiators were not assumed to die because, although they could die in the arena, they did not have a criminal death sentence.


Were There Really Sharks In The Colosseum?

The Shark Issue Has Been Hotly Debated

Ridley Scott defended the most bizarre scene in Gladiator II in an interview with Collider:

“Dude, if you can build a Colosseum you can flood it with f***ing water. Are you joking? And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea? Are you kidding? Of course they can!”

The Roman historian Cassius Dio described a Colosseum show put on by Titus in which animals, including horses and bulls, participated in the naumachia. This suggests the water depth was relatively shallow, as these animals were not trained for deep-water performances (The University of Chicago). However, that is not to say marine life was never imported for naumachia. According to Atlas Obscura, Nero held a naumachia in which seals and hippos were used. In addition, crocodiles were used for water-themed events.


Ridley Scott’s use of sharks in Gladiator II has certainly been controversial, with a top historian making headlines claiming Romans did not even know what sharks were. However, art history says otherwise. According to Hakai Magazine, “A fourth-century mosaic from the ancient Roman city Aquileia shows a variety of fish, including a type of electric ray, while another mosaic from roughly 200 years earlier in Pompeii shows two sharks and an electric ray.”

This alleged knowledge of sharks is reinforced by the writings of Pliny the Elder, a Roman polymath and military commander. His reference to enemy “dog-fish” are clearly sharks in the context of the encounters described. Whether or not they could actually transport them to the Colosseum, Scott’s use of them in the movie elevates the high stakes and emphasizes the theme of ancient Rome and power in Gladiator II.

While the use of sharks in
Gladiator II
is certainly bombastic and seemingly far-fetched, it is not necessarily impossible…


Further, according to Le Comptoir General, fishing nets were in use in ancient Rome: “The hooks used for sea fishing, found in the excavations of Pompeii or Herculaneum, were long and strong, made of bronze or tinned iron.” While the use of sharks in Gladiator II is certainly bombastic and seemingly far-fetched, it is not necessarily impossible. Scott’s facetious statement about getting a couple of sharks in a net may have a grain of truth. However, true or not, the ridiculousness plays into the emphasis on spectacle otherwise shown in gladiator shows, and it makes for cinematic brilliance.

Source: New York Times, Bad Ancient, The Colosseum, Divus Claudius, Collider, The University of Chicago, Atlas Obscura, Hakai Magazine, Pliny the Elder, Le Comptoir General