Prof Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, a Roman social and cultural historian from the University of Cambridge, described the Colosseum scenes in Gladiator II as “gloriously outrageous” and “most unlikely to be historical”, although said similar incidents were alleged in Roman biographies of the tyrannical emperors Elagabalus and Commodus.
Tom Holland, the historian and co-presenter of the Rest is History Podcast, argued that while such scenes may be technically inaccurate, the sense of spectacle they provide gives a more authentic portrayal of the Colosseum than a documentary ever could.
Scott, who has little truck for historical pedantry, has defended his depiction of sharks in the Colosseum, arguing the technological ingenuity of the Romans meant they easily could have made this reality.
When questioned last week about the historical accuracy of the scene in an interview with Collider, a news entertainment website, he said: “You’re dead wrong.
“The Colosseum did flood with water, and there were sea battles.
“Dude, if you can build a Colosseum, you can flood it with f—— water. Are you joking? And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea, are you kidding? Of course, they can.”
Gladiator II will be released on Nov 15.
