An exhibition that is not to be missed, Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum, at Leeds Royal Armouries until 02 November.
The latest exhibition at Leeds Royal Armouries – Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum – opened on 28 June. I had the opportunity to view and to meet with Matthew Wood, Exhibition and Displays Manager at the Royal Armouries.
Going into this, I must say, my knowledge of gladiators was pretty limited. I, of course, have seen the movies and remember bits and pieces from history class way back when, but by no means had much to go on. That being said, I had such a fantastic time experiencing the exhibition and I don’t hesitate to recommend it.
The exhibition itself stems from curator Dr Rosella Rea, and showcases the history and significance of gladiators. Interestingly, Dr Rea got the idea for the exhibition from watching the movie Gladiator, and knew an exhibit needed to be created around the phenomenon. It has travelled to various countries since 2013, including Australia, Canada, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and is now in the UK for the first time ever.
This is also a signal of a new approach at the Royal Armouries, who in the last few years have decided to remove the hunting exhibit, to create a space that will allow exhibitions to come to Leeds; this is the first of many to come.
The overall aim of the Gladiators exhibition is to educate visitors about the true nature of gladiatorial combat and provide a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural context.
Matthew Wood: “So we want to, really, dispel some myths. Obviously, everyone has an idea of gladiators. Everyone either kinda loves or has a feeling about gladiators. So I would say it was real. These were real men, and some women as well, who fought in the arena. They had lives. They were people. So we’re trying to tell their stories and show that the reality is quite exciting, but maybe not quite what we expect it to be.”
From my experience, I felt the exhibition truly captured the human aspect of the gladiators, portraying them as real individuals with personal stories and lived experiences, which made my own experience really engaging.
The exhibition begins with an immersive experience, transporting visitors back to the sounds and sights of that time, including graffiti and mosaics. This was a personal favourite of my host, Matthew Wood:
“It’s designed to make you feel like you’re in the fight, so there’s a lot of clinking of swords and lots of grunts and noises like that, but also all of these illustrations. […] These are actual graffiti. So these have been drawn maybe by children, maybe by people on the walls of Pompeii. What I find so magical about these is this isn’t imagination; this is things they’ve witnessed. They’ve seen this in the arena and they’re drawing it from memory.”
The exhibition then continues to cover the significance of the Colosseum and the other amphitheatres across the Roman empire at that time (did you know there was an amphitheatre in York? I didn’t!). Then continues on and covers the history of gladiatorial games, including their origins, the types of gladiators, and it also highlights the role of gladiators in Roman society – their training, diet and the medical care they received.
Each of the rooms has various audiovisual elements, interactive displays and real artifacts, including some that were uncovered from Pompeii. The highlight for me, though, was the real gladiator helmets; it was fascinating to see the intricate level of detail and designs on each of the helmets, and, of course, imagining myself in them and which I would have chosen if I had been a gladiator.
Wrapping up my visit, I asked Matthew what his favourite part was of getting this exhibition set up, and it really brought to life how much passion and enthusiasm he had for this project, which I had seen throughout my visit. “It’s been amazing. Working with the Italians has been amazing. Learning more and more about the gladiators myself and taking that deep dive into the knowledge. Being able to get these objects over; we’ve got nothing like that in our collection […]. Being able to bring that to Leeds as well has been really great.”
I left having learned so much about the gladiators. I’m also now keen to see what’s next for the Royal Armouries and look forward to what their next exhibition may bring. If you’re a history fan, one of Roman times or inspired by what you’ve seen on film, or even if you have no knowledge of gladiators, the exhibition is well worth a visit.
Tickets are now on sale via the Royal Armouries Museum website. While museum entry remains free, the exhibition is ticketed.
- Adults – £6.50
- Concessions- £4
- Children 4-17– £4
- Children 3 and under- free
Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum is presented by the Royal Armouries in collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Expona and Contemporanea Progetti. The development of the Special Exhibitions Gallery has been supported by grants from The Wolfson Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Photographs by Royal Armouries unless otherwise credited.
