Northampton exhibit dispels myths about Gladiators
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery's 'Gladiators of Britain' is running now until September.
A new exhibit in Northampton is shedding light on Gladiators who lived in the UK in Roman times.
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery's 'Gladiators of Britain' is running now until September.
This touring exhibition brings together some of the country's most important objects to tell the story of Britain's entertainment venues and the people who died to the roar of the crowd.
Curator Jill Birrell says it reveals the violence of the arena, and the importance of spectacle within Roman culture, and how local wealthy people would use items from the Gladiator battles to show their prosperity:
"The Gladiator fights were an important part of Roman culture, and the Romans, who lived in Britain and in our region, were trying to show off that they were very Roman. They were very wealthy. The villas that were in the Nene Valley region would have been evidence of the prosperity of the region."
Highlights include the Colchester Vase loaned by Colchester Museums, which records an actual battle between two real gladiators according to Jill:
"The Colchester vase names gladiators that they believe would have fought in a fight in Colchester itself.
The two gladiators are called Memnon and Valentinus. We know that because their names were engraved onto the pot itself. There are also two beast fighters depicted on the same pot and they are called. One is Mario and one is Secondus."
There are also locally sourced items including the Piddington Roman Villa knife and the Hawkedon Helmet, the only confirmed piece of gladiatorial armour from Roman Britain.
Jill also says the exhibit dispels myths that go around with popular culture around Gladiators:
"I haven't seen the most recent film myself. I believe there's sort of a question in the exhibition that touches on that sort of there were no sharks in the amphitheatres!
"Gladiatorial combat is has been misunderstood in Rome and Britain. It's been better understood in the European continent.
"And this exhibition presents a lot of very recent research, compelling research that says gladiatorial fights were happening in Britain as well."
The exhibit is on until Sunday 7 September 2025.