“Roman Life – Gladiators”

Romans had a complex attitude towards gladiators, admiring and despising those unfortunate enough to become them. To coincide with the release of a certain film sequel, Richard Bale will revisit the topic of gladiators, focusing on Colchester. Richard will explore a variety of artefacts related to gladiators that have been discovered in the city, have a look at the Colchester Vase and consider the evidence for the potential location of Colchester’s amphitheatre including some new alternatives.

Colchester Archaeology Talks

The ‘Roman Life’ series of talks from Richard Bale explores different aspects of living in Roman times using archaeological and historical evidence. Each talk seeks to reveal the hows and whys of a topic so that we can understand both the similarities and differences between our modern life and that of the Romans 2000 years ago.

Please note: This series of talks delve into Roman Life from an archaeological and historical perspective. Due to the nature of the period, some aspects may be unsettling to a modern audience. The presenter is committed to accurately representing the Roman period, including its positive and negative aspects.