Gladiator

What if you were a gladiator? Enter the world of gladiature, take the oath, train and become the new star of the Roman Empire. During a visit, slip into the shoes of a gladiator and discover the truth about these extraordinary fighters!

Immersed in scenery inspired by archaeological sources, the visitor plays the role of a contemporary of the Roman era who comes to enlist as a gladiator. He moves between the ludus, where gladiators lived and trained, and the amphitheater, and discovers the world of gladiature beyond all clichés.

The connected experience allows visitors to make their own choices and follow their own trajectory. The story he will live in the ludus will be his own. Whether they decide to present themselves as a slave or a citizen, man or woman, upon arrival at the ludus, visitors choose to enlist as a gladiator or gladiatrix.

As they move through the exhibition, with the help of a connected bracelet, they interact with a series of characters who gravitate around the world of gladiature (lanista, doctor, editor, summa rudis, medicus, priestess, merchant) and who challenge, guide, encourage and even reprimand them throughout their experience as a combatant. An seven-step adventure to discover the specificities of an extraordinary career beyond all the clichés and the stakes of a status, however infamous, in Roman society.

Objectives :

– To discover the life of these men and women from their engagement to the end of their career.

– To apprehend through immersion and practice what gladiatorial combat was all about.

– To familiarize yourself with the codified world of gladiature

– To re-establish the truth on certain preconceived ideas by relying on the advances of experimental archaeology.

The exhibition is an immersion in the world of gladiature in the High Empire.  

1.           The commitment

It is in the luxurious space of the ludus (gladiator school) that the visitor introduces himself to the master of the place the lanista, to engage as a gladiator. He is the owner of the gladiator troupe and makes him sign his first contract.

2.           The training

The training begins! Before going to the arena, you must learn to master many fighting techniques. Under the eye of the doctor, the gladiator’s trainer, the visitor learns the gestures and postures to execute.

3.           The equipment

Provocator, Thraex, Murmillo… the panoplies differ according to the type of gladiature. In the checkroom, the visitor must find the helmet, the shield and the corresponding protection.

4.           The fight

Ready for battle? The visitor awaits his turn with the other gladiators. He can observe the combat in progress or discuss with the personalities present to learn more about the course of the confrontations and the rules to be respected.

5.           The celebrity

Leaving the amphitheater, the visitor wanders through the streets leading back to the ludus and finds himself in front of a merchant’s stall. He sells a whole bunch of merchandise bearing his effigy! Knife handles, crockery, toys, rings… what a star this new gladiator is!

6.           The end of his career

After years of good and loyal service, what opportunities are available to our gladiator at the end of his career? This is the time for the visitor to go back to the lanista and make a choice.

A play area

4 games to share with friends or family:

1.           Memoro: The Memory of Gladiators

2.           Alea jacta est

3.           Audaces fortuna juvat

4.           Cogito: the great quiz of gladiature