Gladiator!
Let the games begin!
Ladies and Gentlemen, for your entertainment the Legate of Caerleon has sponsored two days of gladiatorial combat. In the arena you will see some of the finest gladiators this side of Rome itself!
Fighting for the Blues - Celatus the Murmillo and Amazonia the Gladiatrix! For the Reds – Achillia the Gladiatrix and Lupis the Retiarius!
Celatus and Amazonia are heavily armoured, and will do anything to win, but Lupis and Achillia are fast and strike like darting snakes. Who will triumph in the arena?
Make your way to the show ground on 2nd and 3rd July at the National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, and watch the gladiators training. Then decide who will be your favourite!
If you decide that a life of violence in the arena is for you, why not join our gladiator training school? Try out some of the moves and wear the colours of your favourite team on your arm to support them.
There’s also a chance to browse some of the stalls that come to town when the gladiators arrive. The doctor, the traders and food stall - plenty of things to spend a few denarii on between shows.
Roll up, roll up! Visit our gladiator show and be amazed, awed and astounded! Follow us on Twitter to learn more about our Gladiators and for the build-up to the big showdown!
The Gladiators
Lupus the Retiarius
Born - Spain. Age - 20. 14 Fights 12 Wins 2 Defeats 3 Kills
Lupus’ life as a gladiator began when he was found in the gutter, going through some bins with his oversized kitchen fork. The people who found him sold him off to the Ludis Rubis, a second rate school with a reputation for producing low quality gladiators! Despite his lack of natural skill, Lupus has been quite successful in the arena. Lupus attempts to fight in a style that mostly represents a Retiarius. His spindly limbs and pigeon chest allow him to move around quickly, but not gracefully. Whilst his use of the net is considered ‘unorthodox’, Lupus is very effective with his huge dessert fork.
Celatus the Murmillo
Born – Macedonia. Age – Unknown. 32 Fights 32 Wins 0 Defeats 9 Kills
Celatus was born into slavery and was sent to work in a stone quarry at an early age. He knows very little about his childhood and cannot remember his parents. Although he was a hard worker Celatus often got into fights with others at the quarry and was sold onto a travelling ludis where he began to learn his gladiator skills. Through his natural talent for fighting Celatus quickly became popular with the crowds. He was sold to bigger ludi before he was bought by the famous Ludis Lividus and became the Champion of Isca.Celatus fights in the style of a Murmillo. These gladiators were heavy and strong with quite a lot of armour, but tended to be slower moving than their opponents.
Amazonia the Gladiatrix
Born – Unknown but is of the Roxolani tribe of the Sarmatian people.
Age – Unknown. 19 Fights 16 Wins 3 Defeats 1 Kill
Amazonia was born into the Roxolani tribe and is one of the Sarmatian people. Born free into a people that respected its women she learnt how to fight at a young age. Fighting alongside her people against the Romans in Dacia she was taken captive and sold into slavery. Sold into a rich household as a house slave she refused to serve and kept getting into trouble. The master of the house realised she was not going to be a good slave after she attacked his wife. Eventually she was sold to the Ludis Lividus. Hher skills impressed the Master of the ludis and he ordered her to train as a Gladiatrix, a female gladiator. Amazonia wears leather armour and fights with a long sword, whilst this makes her a deadly fighter she moves quite slowly and can get tired if her opponent can stay out of her way. Proud and stubborn Amazonia is difficult to control and hates all Romans.
Achillia the Gladiatrix
Born – Rome. Age – mid twenties. 0 Fights
Achillia was born in Rome. She is from a rich and influential family. Achilla had 3 children, the traditional number after which she no longer has to have a male guardian. After her husband, who was in the army, was killed when serving in Britain, she decided to stay in the province. Never being one who liked being told what to do by men, she joined the Ludus Rufus. Rich, bored and looking for a thrill she decided to put herself in the arena. Achillia has always enjoyed the excitement of the gladiator fights and has decided to try it for real. Though new to the arena she is small and fast. Achilia wears very little armour and carries a small shield, although she can move quickly she does not have much protection. Her training has taught her to stay out of her opponents’ way and keep on the move in the hope that they will make a mistake.
Parking Information
The National Roman Legion Museum has no dedicated parking. Parking recommendations are:
The Old Bull Car Park - 2 minutes walk (local council charges apply)
Amphitheatre Car Park - 5 minutes walk
Cold Bath Road Car Park - 10 minutes walk (follow signs for Caerleon University, then turn right down Cold Bath Road following parking signs)
Local street parking
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