WEBVTT 00:00:10.760 --> 00:00:13.120 - When we are out there, 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:15.120 you're not my friend. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:18.840 You are my enemy. 00:00:24.400 --> 00:00:27.000 - And whatever happens out there today... 00:00:29.560 --> 00:00:31.680 Both of us-- 00:00:31.840 --> 00:00:33.720 both of us will be free. 00:00:48.680 --> 00:00:51.400 - The Colosseum is the Roman Empire 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:53.480 distilled to its most basic essence. 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:57.360 - It is a symbol of conquest. 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:01.440 It's a symbol of dominance. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.200 It's a symbol of imperial power 00:01:03.360 --> 00:01:05.160 radiating throughout the Roman world. 00:01:07.600 --> 00:01:09.320 - Now! 00:01:11.240 --> 00:01:14.080 - Any emperor had the Colosseum at his disposal 00:01:14.160 --> 00:01:17.680 to use as a tool to reassert his power and authority. 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:21.440 - The message to the Roman people 00:01:21.600 --> 00:01:24.720 is that life is a combat. 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:29.640 - It was also a judicial warning. 00:01:29.800 --> 00:01:32.680 Do not test the power of Rome. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:34.920 It was a death penalty offense. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.880 - If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:50.440 - It demonstrates the power of the Colosseum. 00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:54.000 It made slaves into heroes, 00:01:54.160 --> 00:01:56.520 upending the power structure of Rome. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.000 - The Colosseum would come to symbolize 00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:03.280 the rise and fall of Rome. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:07.480 - It's all there-- 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:10.080 the blood, the glory, the magnificence, 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.520 and the flaws... 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:14.600 that made Rome the greatest empire 00:02:14.760 --> 00:02:16.440 that Europe has ever seen. 00:02:39.440 --> 00:02:41.200 narrator: In the First Century A.D., 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:43.800 Rome is the biggest city on Earth, 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:46.680 with a population of more than a million people. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.440 Now, after eight years of construction, 00:02:54.600 --> 00:02:57.000 the largest amphitheater in the ancient world 00:02:57.160 --> 00:02:59.960 has just opened. 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:04.600 - The Colosseum in Rome is one of the most iconic structures 00:03:04.760 --> 00:03:07.200 in the history of humanity. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.440 It really was a sight to behold. 00:03:09.600 --> 00:03:12.280 - The Colosseum hosted a wide variety 00:03:12.440 --> 00:03:14.640 of bloody entertainment-- 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:17.560 gladiatorial contests, wild beast hunts, 00:03:17.720 --> 00:03:20.040 executions of condemned criminals. 00:03:20.200 --> 00:03:22.040 The Roman people were, in some sense, 00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:23.960 connoisseurs of violence. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:27.280 They expected and received a whole variety 00:03:27.440 --> 00:03:29.520 of different kinds of bloody entertainment. 00:03:48.480 --> 00:03:51.200 narrator: The new emperor, Titus, is a war hero 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.440 who inherited the throne less than a year ago. 00:03:55.600 --> 00:03:58.880 The empire he now commands began with Rome's founding 00:03:59.040 --> 00:04:02.960 as a powerful city-state in 753 B.C. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.400 It conquers the Italian Peninsula, 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:08.680 then ancient Greece, the seafarers of Carthage, 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:10.320 the pharaohs of Egypt, 00:04:10.480 --> 00:04:13.920 and by 80 A.D., most of Western Europe. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:15.960 - It's a colossal empire, 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:17.920 one of the largest the world's ever known. 00:04:18.080 --> 00:04:21.160 And Rome is its capital. 00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:23.320 narrator: But despite his extraordinary power, 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:25.280 Titus is vulnerable. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.760 He's part of a new dynasty, the Flavians, 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:33.720 who seized power after a bloody civil war. 00:04:33.880 --> 00:04:37.600 His rule follows years of political turmoil. 00:04:37.760 --> 00:04:41.240 - Titus was well aware of the fragility of his position. 00:04:41.400 --> 00:04:44.640 He is the fifth emperor in 11 years, 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.280 and his family has no hereditary claim 00:04:48.440 --> 00:04:49.600 to ruling the empire. 00:04:49.760 --> 00:04:51.440 They are usurpers. 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:53.160 narrator: To cement his power 00:04:53.200 --> 00:04:54.560 and win the love of the people, 00:04:54.640 --> 00:04:56.680 Titus has declared an unprecedented 00:04:56.840 --> 00:05:01.240 100 days of games to inaugurate the Colosseum. 00:05:01.400 --> 00:05:03.520 - Titus had a lot riding on these games. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:05.960 He knew that the Roman mob was fickle 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:08.760 and that they could turn on him easily 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:12.600 if things didn't go their way and they weren't entertained. 00:05:12.760 --> 00:05:14.520 There was a high penalty for failure. 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:16.720 He would pay with his life. 00:05:18.520 --> 00:05:20.040 narrator: To mark the Colosseum's opening, 00:05:20.200 --> 00:05:22.320 Titus lines up a fight to the death 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.560 between two of the empire's best-known gladiators, 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.280 Rome's champion, Verus, 00:05:28.440 --> 00:05:30.920 and the barbarian, Priscus. 00:05:39.520 --> 00:05:42.080 - They are the prime athletes of ancient Rome. 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.240 In that specific moment, you could say that 00:05:44.280 --> 00:05:47.840 they are the heavyweight champions of the Roman Empire. 00:05:57.440 --> 00:05:59.560 - What we know about the fight comes to us 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:00.800 from just one source, 00:06:00.880 --> 00:06:02.040 but it's a really important source. 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:03.760 It's the Roman poet Martial, 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:05.840 who was a spectator at the games. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.240 He actually saw this fight and saw how it played out. 00:06:12.440 --> 00:06:14.720 narrator: Martial's poem is the only surviving account 00:06:14.880 --> 00:06:16.000 of its kind. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:17.520 The fight he records captures 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:19.280 some of the contradictions of Rome. 00:06:19.440 --> 00:06:21.160 It's combatants are celebrated, 00:06:21.320 --> 00:06:23.680 but they are also enslaved. 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.720 Most gladiators were captured on the borders of the empire, 00:06:31.880 --> 00:06:33.080 so for Priscus, 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.080 the long journey to the Colosseum 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:37.440 begins far from the glory of Rome. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:43.600 In the First Century A.D., 00:06:43.760 --> 00:06:48.120 Roman armies push into Germania, present-day Germany. 00:06:48.280 --> 00:06:50.640 - It's a fair bet that Priscus came from Germania 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.160 because that's where Roman armies were campaigning 00:06:54.320 --> 00:06:55.920 at this particular point in time. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:22.800 - Fall back! 00:07:22.960 --> 00:07:25.000 - What allowed Rome to expand 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:26.560 was the best fighting forces 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:29.520 that the ancient world had ever developed. 00:07:31.400 --> 00:07:33.120 narrator: The enemies Rome defeats 00:07:33.280 --> 00:07:36.720 are usually killed or enslaved. 00:07:36.880 --> 00:07:38.600 - The Roman Empire probably consisted 00:07:38.760 --> 00:07:42.160 of 50 million individuals, but 20%, maybe even a quarter, 00:07:42.320 --> 00:07:45.280 maybe even a third of these individuals were enslaved. 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:47.760 - Hey! Get back in the circle! 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.840 narrator: The most promising of the enslaved 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:54.600 become gladiators. 00:07:54.760 --> 00:07:57.640 - Germania was a wonderful source for gladiators 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:01.040 because it was full of big, strong fine specimens 00:08:01.200 --> 00:08:03.640 who were sell-suited for gladiatorial games. 00:08:08.880 --> 00:08:10.400 Priscus would have been 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:13.040 kind of shuttled between slave traders, 00:08:13.200 --> 00:08:14.840 all the way from the frontier 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:17.440 into the heart of the Roman Empire. 00:08:28.520 --> 00:08:30.680 narrator: According to the Roman historian Livy, 00:08:30.840 --> 00:08:35.280 the first gladiators appear in Rome in 264 B.C. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.960 In a funeral rite, two men would fight to the death 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:40.320 over the graves of rich aristocrats, 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:43.600 their blood a kind of human sacrifice. 00:08:43.760 --> 00:08:45.360 - As time went on, 00:08:45.520 --> 00:08:48.120 gladiatorial games expanded from this focus on funerals 00:08:48.280 --> 00:08:50.600 and became mass entertainment. 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:55.960 narrator: Priscus is almost certainly sent 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:59.920 to a gladiator school, known as a ludus. 00:09:01.280 --> 00:09:04.160 - The most famous ludus was the one in Capua, 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.720 the ludus at which Spartacus trained, 00:09:06.880 --> 00:09:08.360 from which he broke out 00:09:08.520 --> 00:09:11.760 and led the largest slave rebellion in Roman history. 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:15.920 - You belong to me now! 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:21.400 I own your bodies... 00:09:23.520 --> 00:09:25.160 Your thoughts... 00:09:28.160 --> 00:09:29.840 Who you were... 00:09:31.640 --> 00:09:34.040 Where you came from 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:36.720 mean nothing anymore! 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.040 From this day forwards, 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:43.280 you are gladiators. 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:45.840 My gladiators! 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.240 You fight for me. 00:09:50.400 --> 00:09:52.400 - Priscus would have been sold on to a lanista, 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:54.000 who was the head of the ludus. 00:09:54.160 --> 00:09:57.120 He basically is responsible for the recruitment 00:09:57.280 --> 00:09:58.800 and for the training of the gladiators. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.320 - If you work hard, 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.960 you will be rewarded. 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:06.120 If you don't... 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:11.200 Your new names. 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:14.520 You are Fulgar. 00:10:18.040 --> 00:10:20.680 And you, 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:23.160 your name is Priscus. 00:10:25.640 --> 00:10:27.880 - Priscus will not have been his real name. 00:10:28.040 --> 00:10:29.760 Gladiators were given names. 00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:33.840 And these names were sort of to evoke a feeling or an emotion. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:38.000 Priscus, which means primeval, was a stage name, essentially. 00:10:38.160 --> 00:10:39.960 - Usus. Huh? 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:41.840 Okay. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:45.200 - Maybe he was brutal. He exuded that. 00:10:49.760 --> 00:10:51.280 - It would have taken two to three years 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:52.720 to become a gladiator. 00:10:56.400 --> 00:10:58.600 The training would have been brutal. 00:10:58.760 --> 00:11:01.880 narrator: Despite that, gladiators are well-cared for. 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:04.200 They're fed a carbohydrate-rich diet 00:11:04.280 --> 00:11:07.600 designed to provide energy and a layer of fat. 00:11:07.640 --> 00:11:09.200 - We have evidence that they had a diet 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.840 that was rich in barley and beans. 00:11:11.920 --> 00:11:14.240 They were actually known as barley men to the Romans. 00:11:14.400 --> 00:11:15.440 That was their nickname. 00:11:17.400 --> 00:11:20.680 - And a little layer of fat is great protection 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:23.640 if you're in a business of being stabbed and cut. 00:11:23.800 --> 00:11:26.400 A little something extra to cushion the blow, so to speak. 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:30.080 - They're going to physically build you up. 00:11:30.160 --> 00:11:32.240 You're given a rudis, which is a wooden sword. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:33.960 It's twice the weight of the gladius, 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:36.800 the sword or the weapon you're gonna be using in the arena. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:39.880 - They're taught, by striking a wooden pole, the palace, 00:11:40.040 --> 00:11:42.880 the essential moves of gladiatorial combat. 00:11:45.560 --> 00:11:47.360 - You! Priscus! 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:00.320 Need to toughen you up. 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.160 - You have no rights. You're not considered human. 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:04.840 You're like a piece of property. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:06.760 But the incredible, extraordinary thing 00:12:06.920 --> 00:12:08.640 with the Romans is that ultimately, 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.200 some slaves could be freed. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.680 A gladiator is a slave. 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:15.880 But he has the opportunity. 00:12:16.040 --> 00:12:18.880 He can become a superstar. He can become a legend. 00:12:28.400 --> 00:12:29.880 narrator: After years of training, 00:12:30.040 --> 00:12:32.680 most gladiators like Priscus swear an oath 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:35.760 and become an official fighter. 00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:37.960 - It is a very strong oath. 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.600 "Vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari." 00:12:40.760 --> 00:12:43.480 - I will endure to be burned, chained, beaten, 00:12:43.640 --> 00:12:46.640 and slain by the sword. 00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:51.520 - They're being shaped in a brutal military bootcamp. 00:12:51.680 --> 00:12:53.920 So you're really getting these people prepared, 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:57.640 brainwashed to face death. 00:12:57.800 --> 00:12:59.320 narrator: After swearing their oaths, 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:01.680 gladiators are divided into different types, 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.720 each with its own weapons, training, and fighting style. 00:13:05.880 --> 00:13:10.240 - We know of roughly between 20 to 30 main types of gladiators. 00:13:10.400 --> 00:13:11.800 The murmillo, for example, 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:13.720 is the armored tank of gladiators. 00:13:13.880 --> 00:13:15.440 He has a massive helmet. 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:17.040 He has a manica, which is a segmented 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:18.720 or scaled arm guard. 00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:20.880 He has a large shield called a scutum 00:13:21.040 --> 00:13:22.600 that is about 4 feet in length. 00:13:22.640 --> 00:13:24.320 He has the gladius, 00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:26.880 the fighting weapon of the Roman soldiers. 00:13:26.920 --> 00:13:28.520 Priscus was probably a Thracian. 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.320 A Thracian is more the middleweight. 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:31.720 He's fighting with a small, 00:13:31.800 --> 00:13:34.160 about 60 to 65 centimeter shield called a parmula. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.560 His weapon is the sica. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:38.320 It's got a curve to it. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:40.720 This is to get behind the shield. 00:13:40.880 --> 00:13:43.400 So he's very fast. He's very aggressive. 00:13:43.560 --> 00:13:46.120 And each gladiator really brought with themselves 00:13:46.280 --> 00:13:49.200 a particular style of fighting that the Romans really enjoyed. 00:13:50.760 --> 00:13:52.240 narrator: For the next two years, 00:13:52.400 --> 00:13:55.720 Priscus trains hard and his talent shines. 00:13:55.880 --> 00:13:59.160 He knows being the best comes with rewards. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:03.840 - If you succeed in the gladiatorial world, 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.000 you can earn enormous amounts of money. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.280 - When you become a professional gladiator, 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.680 you can command up to 12 or 13 times 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.280 the annual salary of Rome for one fight. 00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:24.640 - But the ultimately goal is freedom. 00:14:24.800 --> 00:14:27.000 This is an opportunity not only to prove themselves, 00:14:27.160 --> 00:14:29.000 but more importantly, to gain access 00:14:29.160 --> 00:14:30.760 to the most valued prize of all, 00:14:30.920 --> 00:14:32.520 and that was their liberty. 00:14:32.680 --> 00:14:34.000 - The only way that a gladiator 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.640 was going to earn his freedom 00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:37.360 was in the arena, through his actions, 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.480 by being so famous, so well-known, 00:14:39.640 --> 00:14:42.520 so renowned that the crowd was going to demand 00:14:42.680 --> 00:14:43.720 that he be freed. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.920 narrator: The path to freedom for a fully-trained gladiator 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:53.960 begins in the empire's smaller amphitheaters. 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:56.680 This is where reputations are made. 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:59.440 - Amphitheaters have been found in practically 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.680 every large Roman settlement, 230 of them. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.200 There were things that bound Romans 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:07.200 together no matter where they lived. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:09.040 One of those things was the enjoyment 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:11.520 of violent spectacle like this. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:15.720 It is part of the civic fabric of any Roman city. 00:15:17.680 --> 00:15:19.960 - Being a gladiator was a very paradoxical thing. 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:21.840 On the one hand, they were lauded. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:23.640 They were celebrities. 00:15:23.800 --> 00:15:26.080 They were * symbols. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:30.360 They symbolized courage, tenacity, manliness. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.280 On the other hand, they were looked down on. 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:37.040 They were held in contempt. 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:40.520 - It's not just that they were slaves. 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:41.960 To be looked at in public 00:15:42.040 --> 00:15:43.520 was thought to be a degrading thing. 00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:46.360 So prostitutes, actors, and gladiators 00:15:46.520 --> 00:15:48.560 all belonged in the same category. 00:15:50.640 --> 00:15:54.440 narrator: Gladiator fights have referees and clear rules. 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.400 - The referee, the summa rudis, 00:15:56.560 --> 00:15:58.960 would ensure that there wasn't too much grappling, 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.800 that there wasn't too much circling without contact. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:10.640 Fights are normally organized 00:16:10.800 --> 00:16:12.560 between combatants belonging to the same schools. 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.840 So they're usually people who know each other. 00:16:18.760 --> 00:16:20.920 - Gladiatorial combat is a mixture of violence, 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:22.960 of skill, but also of showmanship. 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.920 There is an element of spectacular. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:40.080 Their sole desire is to appease the crowds. 00:16:46.280 --> 00:16:48.000 It's a bit like modern wrestling. 00:16:48.160 --> 00:16:51.480 It's so dramatic. The guy's bleeding. 00:16:51.520 --> 00:16:53.720 He's surely finished. But he continues to fight. 00:16:53.800 --> 00:16:55.680 He might even win the fight himself. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.960 - It's a myth that every bout resulted in the death 00:17:09.120 --> 00:17:10.560 of a gladiator. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:12.680 These gladiators had gone through years of training. 00:17:12.840 --> 00:17:14.480 They have been invested in, 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.920 and you want a return on that investment. 00:17:17.080 --> 00:17:19.280 - Maybe one in ten gladiators 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:21.360 would actually die in the arena. 00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:24.000 Gladiators were too loved. They were too powerful. 00:17:24.080 --> 00:17:25.640 They were too important. 00:17:25.800 --> 00:17:27.800 It made them almost impossible to kill. 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:31.520 - We know this because we have gladiator tombstones, 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.560 where it talks about a gladiator 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:36.760 who survived 34 wins and ten losses. 00:17:43.800 --> 00:17:45.760 But at the same time, fights to the death 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:50.320 are the highest form of gladiatorial combat. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.320 - In the rare occasion they were actually told 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:55.640 to fight cena missionas, which means no mercy, 00:17:55.800 --> 00:17:58.640 gladiators were to offer their throat to the victor 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:01.400 and to take death as if it was nothing. 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:03.720 Then you would be remembered and immortalized. 00:18:19.120 --> 00:18:20.600 - Didn't I tell you he was good? 00:18:20.760 --> 00:18:22.440 - Yeah, you might be right. 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:26.680 Might finally be your chance to get to Rome, Cornelius. 00:18:26.840 --> 00:18:28.680 - It's within the realm of possibility 00:18:28.840 --> 00:18:30.880 that a guy like Priscus was scouted. 00:18:31.040 --> 00:18:33.080 So in other words, "Hey, we're inaugurating the Colosseum. 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:34.480 "We need the best. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:37.000 "We hear this guy has a great reputation. 00:18:37.040 --> 00:18:38.240 We want him." 00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:54.480 - If you arrived in Rome as a gladiator, 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:58.720 the overall scale of it would have been very daunting. 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.000 - Rome at last. 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:02.720 We did it. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:07.720 You're going to be a champion. 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:10.160 - Seeing the Colosseum for the first time, 00:19:10.320 --> 00:19:11.880 you can imagine the conflicted feelings 00:19:12.040 --> 00:19:15.960 of experiencing the awesome power of this capital city 00:19:16.120 --> 00:19:19.440 that has probably decimated your homeland. 00:19:23.840 --> 00:19:26.920 What's going on in your mind is that, "I might die here, 00:19:27.080 --> 00:19:30.560 but also, I could get my freedom." 00:19:35.600 --> 00:19:37.000 narrator: When Priscus arrives in Rome, 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:40.560 the Colosseum is in the final stage of construction. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.600 It's called the Flavian Amphitheater, 00:19:43.760 --> 00:19:45.720 after Vespasian Flavius, 00:19:45.760 --> 00:19:46.880 the emperor who commissioned it 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.760 to appease the people of Rome. 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:53.000 But when Vespasian dies, the city his son Titus 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:56.920 now rules becomes even more restless. 00:19:57.080 --> 00:19:58.960 - Rome is a very strange place at this time. 00:19:59.120 --> 00:20:01.080 There is a huge slave population, 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:03.720 so the people who live in Rome, a lot of them aren't working. 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:06.240 There are slaves who are doing their dirty work. 00:20:08.760 --> 00:20:10.720 - It's a volatile place. 00:20:10.800 --> 00:20:13.440 It is full of people who are underemployed 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:16.560 or entirely unemployed, who are subsisting on a dole, 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:20.160 who have to be kept busy and entertained. 00:20:20.320 --> 00:20:22.400 Otherwise, the city of Rome was a powder keg. 00:20:24.520 --> 00:20:26.720 - Titus is a successful general, 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:28.160 but he's an unproven leader. 00:20:28.320 --> 00:20:31.040 So he has to finish the Colosseum. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:34.720 He's got to inaugurate this new venue. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:38.480 - So in 80 A.D., to extend his control, 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:40.560 make himself beloved by the crowd, 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:42.720 he declares 100 days of games. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:00.760 narrator: Only the most outstanding gladiators 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:03.000 will be chosen to compete in the games. 00:21:06.520 --> 00:21:08.440 And the most formidable of them all 00:21:08.600 --> 00:21:10.920 is the champion of the gladiator school 00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:13.240 where Priscus is now training. 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:16.760 - I want to see how well you do against the champion. 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:18.360 His name's Verus. 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:38.520 - Priscus and Verus certainly would have known each other. 00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:41.400 This is a relatively small community of people. 00:21:47.520 --> 00:21:49.600 - You've got spirit. I'll give you that. 00:21:49.760 --> 00:21:52.280 - Verus means, in Latin, "true." 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:54.720 But in this context, it really means 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:56.320 "the real thing." 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:57.800 There must have been a whole personality 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:01.520 that was based around this moniker. 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:03.760 - I'm also going to give you a beating. 00:22:13.080 --> 00:22:15.760 all: Verus! Verus! Verus! 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:17.680 - Why would someone be called truth? 00:22:17.760 --> 00:22:19.760 Well, maybe he was true to form. 00:22:19.800 --> 00:22:22.400 Maybe he was the greatest, and people would say 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.920 he truly is the greatest. 00:22:25.080 --> 00:22:26.280 He's the best gladiator. 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:27.920 He's the most violent gladiator. 00:22:28.080 --> 00:22:29.600 Or maybe it's true that when you meet him, 00:22:29.760 --> 00:22:31.360 you will meet your demise. 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.560 - We can think about rivalry amongst them. 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:40.320 But at the same time, you're in a club. 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:42.360 You're in a group. You're in a fraternity. 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:54.440 - Look. 00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:58.880 You're tough. 00:22:59.040 --> 00:23:01.800 But you must fight smart if you want to survive. 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:06.280 I could help you. 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:08.480 - You're living together. You're training together. 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:10.680 You're sharing stories and tips and tricks. 00:23:10.840 --> 00:23:12.280 You're gonna get to know one another in a way 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:16.280 that's almost impossible for anybody else to. 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:19.400 So there's this powerful sense of community and brotherhood 00:23:19.560 --> 00:23:21.080 between gladiators. 00:23:33.080 --> 00:23:35.000 Gladiators had obligations to one another 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:36.560 that extended even into death. 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:50.960 - When one of their own gladiators died in combat, 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:54.680 their comrades would sometimes pull money together. 00:24:01.040 --> 00:24:03.840 - For Megarus, my friend. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.920 Your predecessor. 00:24:07.080 --> 00:24:08.960 His funeral. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:12.960 - Why should I give money for someone I didn't know? 00:24:16.800 --> 00:24:19.240 - Because when you're killed, 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:22.760 your successors will pay for yours. 00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:29.720 - They would have either paid for their burial 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:32.440 or a tombstone, or if they had a family, 00:24:32.600 --> 00:24:34.560 they would look after that family. 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:46.560 narrator: With the opening games fast approaching, 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.960 trainers race to secure their gladiators 00:24:49.120 --> 00:24:52.200 a spot in the Colosseum's debut. 00:25:03.040 --> 00:25:04.760 - The stakes are highest for the gladiators in Rome. 00:25:04.840 --> 00:25:06.240 If you want to have somebody 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:07.720 who's really good fight to the death, 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:09.520 that's much more likely to happen in Rome, 00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:11.480 where there's the money to pay for it. 00:25:11.640 --> 00:25:14.840 narrator: And new Emperor, Titus, has money to burn. 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.160 - Head high. Hold. Eyes. 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:34.600 I've taught you everything I know. 00:25:34.760 --> 00:25:36.640 I must be getting soft. 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:53.080 Priscus! 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:55.920 I've got you a slot 00:25:56.080 --> 00:25:58.400 in the opening day of the games. 00:25:58.560 --> 00:26:01.360 Headline bout. 00:26:01.520 --> 00:26:03.080 Weren't easy. 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:05.880 Every owner wanted their man to have a shot at Verus. 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:11.280 - For an event of this magnitude, 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:12.880 with this kind of crowd, 00:26:13.040 --> 00:26:14.840 with who was going to be in attendance, 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:16.760 Priscus and Verus had every reason to think 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:19.640 that this was going to be a death match. 00:26:19.800 --> 00:26:21.480 For the winner would be freedom. 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:23.680 For the loser would probably be death. 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:32.520 narrator: In the fall of 80 A.D., 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:34.920 the Colosseum is finally ready. 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:43.560 - This was the hottest ticket in Rome. 00:26:43.600 --> 00:26:45.240 This would have been the biggest event 00:26:45.320 --> 00:26:47.280 that anybody could remember in their lifetimes. 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:56.840 - The tickets were small pieces of lead 00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:00.360 that the emperor would disburse to Rome's senators, 00:27:00.520 --> 00:27:04.200 and from there, it would trickle down to the population. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.280 - Ordinary Romans would have been awed 00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.000 by walking into this building, 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:11.600 the likes of which had never been seen before. 00:27:11.760 --> 00:27:14.280 The structure in and of itself was part of the draw. 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:16.560 There was nothing like it in the Roman world. 00:27:22.040 --> 00:27:25.760 - Workers dug out 220,000 tons of dirt 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.760 to create 30-foot deep foundations, 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:30.520 3 1/2 million tons of travertine stone, 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:32.480 a million bricks, 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:36.360 and 300 tons of iron clamps to hold the stone together. 00:27:36.520 --> 00:27:40.800 - This massive structure located in the heart of Rome, 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:44.160 punctuated by 80 arched entrances. 00:27:44.320 --> 00:27:46.280 Estimates of seating capacity range 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.280 between 50,000 and 80,000. 00:28:11.280 --> 00:28:12.560 - Seating in the Roman Colosseum 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:15.360 was a microcosm of how rank worked 00:28:15.520 --> 00:28:17.840 in Roman society as a whole. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:21.360 - The emperor sat in a seat of honor in the front, 00:28:21.520 --> 00:28:24.480 surrounded by the senators and the state priestesses, 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:26.360 the Vestal Virgins. 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:27.920 And as you went up higher, 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:29.440 the rank of people 00:28:29.600 --> 00:28:31.640 would go down lower in the social class 00:28:31.800 --> 00:28:33.960 until you got to the very top of the Colosseum. 00:28:34.120 --> 00:28:36.640 You'd have noncitizens and slaves, 00:28:36.800 --> 00:28:39.200 and that was the only place where women could sit, 00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:41.440 other than the Vestal Virgins. 00:28:46.760 --> 00:28:48.400 narrator: Before the games begin, 00:28:48.560 --> 00:28:52.760 Priscus and Verus enter the arena to greet the crowd. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:02.040 - Walking out from the darkened tunnels 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:03.800 into the light, 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:07.320 the color, all those people there 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:09.680 would have been an extraordinary experience 00:29:09.840 --> 00:29:11.840 for Priscus and Verus. 00:29:16.840 --> 00:29:20.240 - Can you imagine if you are a gladiator from Germany, 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:21.840 and you look up at the imperial box-- 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:24.560 there is Rome's emperor in the flesh, 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:27.480 with the power of life and death over you. 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:29.840 Well, that must have been an overwhelming experience. 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:33.640 The emperor's presence 00:29:33.800 --> 00:29:36.720 in the imperial box was absolutely key. 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:40.160 The emperor could see everyone and everyone could see him. 00:29:40.320 --> 00:29:43.080 - The games are all about Roman emperors 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:44.880 giving the people what they need. 00:29:45.040 --> 00:29:47.480 And it's always described as bread and circuses. 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:49.680 They had to feed the people of Rome. 00:29:49.840 --> 00:29:52.000 But once they were fed, they had to be entertained, 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:54.000 and they loved these shows. 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:55.720 - We might call it a bribe. 00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:59.440 This was Titus saying, "I'm providing this for you. 00:29:59.600 --> 00:30:01.640 Please, please, please don't rise up." 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:07.080 narrator: With Titus is his younger brother Domitian, 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:09.400 a potential rival. 00:30:09.560 --> 00:30:13.680 - While Titus had been charming and suave, 00:30:13.840 --> 00:30:17.000 Domitian was not a pleasing person at all. 00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:19.000 - Not a bad crowd, brother. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:24.120 They seem excitable. 00:30:24.280 --> 00:30:26.680 - He was sullen, he was suspicious, 00:30:26.840 --> 00:30:28.280 and by all accounts, 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:30.360 very jealous of his elder brother. 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:36.720 - Well, Verus feels like the most popular man 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:39.440 in Rome right now. 00:30:39.600 --> 00:30:42.040 - Priscus will provide equal contest, I'm sure. 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:44.480 - I hope so. For your sake. 00:30:46.760 --> 00:30:49.560 - These are our games, brother. 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:51.600 Our games. 00:30:51.760 --> 00:30:54.480 - Titus and his family were a new dynasty. 00:30:54.640 --> 00:30:56.720 They needed to show that they were good for Rome, 00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:59.200 and that was what the Colosseum was about. 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.240 - Everybody is watching Titus to see if he slips. 00:31:05.400 --> 00:31:06.800 And if he slips, well, 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:09.000 in Rome's there's always a dagger waiting for you. 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:14.520 - Let the games begin! 00:31:19.560 --> 00:31:21.520 narrator: The games held by Titus 00:31:21.600 --> 00:31:24.720 are designed to showcase his power and wealth. 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:28.400 They cost an estimated $10 million per day, 00:31:28.560 --> 00:31:30.040 in today's money. 00:31:33.320 --> 00:31:36.760 The schedule is an astonishing festival of death. 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:41.360 - The standard sequence of events was as follows: 00:31:41.520 --> 00:31:43.600 in the morning is when you had the venationes, 00:31:43.760 --> 00:31:45.440 the beast combats. 00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:54.960 - At noon, the meridiani. 00:31:55.120 --> 00:31:57.000 This is when the executions of criminals 00:31:57.160 --> 00:32:01.120 condemned to death took place, in ways that were memorable. 00:32:03.080 --> 00:32:05.520 - And in the afternoon is when you had the paired combats, 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.280 the gladiators, 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:09.760 the ones that entertained most of the people. 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:16.760 - When we are out there, 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:20.600 you're not my friend. 00:32:20.760 --> 00:32:23.880 You are not my brother. 00:32:24.040 --> 00:32:25.760 You are my enemy. 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:35.080 And whatever happens out there today... 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:39.720 Both of us-- 00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:41.800 both of us will be free. 00:32:50.280 --> 00:32:53.280 - There are huge stakes for Priscus and Verus. 00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:54.920 The pressure must have been incredible. 00:32:55.080 --> 00:32:57.520 They are the headlining fight. 00:32:57.680 --> 00:32:59.200 And they will walk into that arena 00:32:59.360 --> 00:33:01.440 knowing that one of them 00:33:01.600 --> 00:33:03.240 may not walk out of there alive. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:09.520 narrator: If Priscus was a Thracian, 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:11.440 armed with a deadly sica, 00:33:11.600 --> 00:33:15.760 then Verus was probably a more heavily-armored murmillo. 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:17.680 - If you have a Thracian, 00:33:17.840 --> 00:33:20.080 almost always paired with a murmillo. 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:22.320 And we can imagine, in that main event, 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:24.760 with these two most famous gladiators, 00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:26.760 that you'd have some sort of epic pairing. 00:33:35.840 --> 00:33:37.440 narrator: Gladiators enter the arena 00:33:37.600 --> 00:33:40.600 through the Porta Sanavivaria, the gate of life. 00:33:40.760 --> 00:33:43.560 If victorious, they leave the same way. 00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:45.400 If defeated, they exit 00:33:45.560 --> 00:33:49.520 through the Porta Libitina, the gate of death. 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:51.760 - Titus sets some rules for the fight. 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:53.520 It cannot be a draw. 00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:56.440 It has to be until one of the gladiators submits. 00:33:56.600 --> 00:33:59.280 Then they appeal to the emperor for mercy. 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:01.520 But it's highly likely that this, 00:34:01.680 --> 00:34:04.760 the headline act of Titus' games, 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:07.160 is going to result in the death of one of them. 00:34:10.160 --> 00:34:12.240 narrator: The winner will be given a rudus, 00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:14.680 a wooden staff given as a trophy, 00:34:14.840 --> 00:34:17.040 which symbolizes his freedom. 00:34:20.160 --> 00:34:23.880 both: Hail Caesar! 00:34:24.040 --> 00:34:25.600 - So the stakes couldn't be higher. 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:27.480 It's death or freedom. 00:34:34.520 --> 00:34:36.960 - Titus favored the Thracian style of fighting, 00:34:37.120 --> 00:34:38.640 and Domitian, the murmillo. 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:40.240 - The fact that the two brothers 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:42.480 would have been rooting for different gladiators 00:34:42.640 --> 00:34:44.360 would have been known to the audience. 00:34:44.520 --> 00:34:48.440 And it would have added even more drama to the proceedings. 00:35:02.600 --> 00:35:05.480 - Imagine having a huge metal pot, 00:35:05.640 --> 00:35:08.120 essentially, on your head-- you can't breathe, 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:11.080 your eyesight's limited, you're lifting a heavy shield. 00:35:11.240 --> 00:35:13.680 You've got 35 to 40 pounds of armor. 00:35:27.680 --> 00:35:31.880 The noise of the crowd, the heat, your heart pumping-- 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:35.200 and remember, you're fighting for your life, on top of that. 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.840 It's gonna take nerves of steel. 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:42.760 But if you fight bravely enough and the emperor graces you, 00:35:42.920 --> 00:35:45.240 it's the chance of being free, of becoming a citizen, 00:35:45.400 --> 00:35:47.080 of becoming someone normal. 00:35:54.200 --> 00:35:56.520 - Martial's poem tells us that the fight between them 00:35:56.680 --> 00:35:59.280 was grueling, that it went on for hours. 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:08.240 - This is what Martial says. 00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.600 "Priscus desperately played for time. 00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:12.640 "Verus struggled to hold on, too. 00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:15.320 Neither could get the better of their mortal combat." 00:36:17.120 --> 00:36:19.520 - Most bouts-- over pretty quickly. 00:36:19.680 --> 00:36:23.160 Just a couple of minutes. But this one here is epic. 00:36:23.320 --> 00:36:26.000 This one here is on the level of, 00:36:26.160 --> 00:36:28.960 you know, the greatest heroes in mythology. 00:36:32.640 --> 00:36:34.080 It's something special, 00:36:34.240 --> 00:36:36.200 and you know that great things are gonna happen, 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:38.240 things that you've never seen before. 00:36:45.520 --> 00:36:47.800 narrator: The Colosseum is finally open, 00:36:47.880 --> 00:36:50.240 and Emperor Titus has promised Rome's people 00:36:50.400 --> 00:36:51.880 a fight to the death 00:36:52.040 --> 00:36:53.920 between two famous gladiators, 00:36:54.080 --> 00:36:55.440 Priscus and Verus. 00:37:03.440 --> 00:37:04.600 - Everyone involved-- 00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:07.240 the 50,000 spectators, the emperor, 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:10.240 and the two gladiators-- they all know 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:13.160 that one man is gonna win and one man will died. 00:37:16.120 --> 00:37:18.360 - Martial indicates that it was not just the skills 00:37:18.520 --> 00:37:20.080 and the strength, 00:37:20.240 --> 00:37:22.280 but the long-term commitment 00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:24.320 that touched on the spirit, 00:37:24.480 --> 00:37:26.080 that really impressed the crowd. 00:37:48.080 --> 00:37:49.640 - It would have been exhausting. 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:51.240 Even professional fighters today, 00:37:51.400 --> 00:37:53.160 who are exceptionally well-conditioned, 00:37:53.320 --> 00:37:55.560 do not fight and just throw blows at each other 00:37:55.640 --> 00:37:56.920 until somebody drops. 00:37:57.080 --> 00:38:00.120 There is always going to be some breaks in the action. 00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:04.200 - Fights are exhausting. You need to stop. 00:38:04.360 --> 00:38:05.560 You need to get some refreshments. 00:38:05.720 --> 00:38:08.200 You need some water. 00:38:08.360 --> 00:38:10.840 - We know that they fought so bravely 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:15.160 that their actions are still spoken about 2,000 years later. 00:38:15.320 --> 00:38:19.680 Think about the last round of a championship boxing fight, 00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:23.000 when you see these two men unable to continue fighting. 00:38:23.160 --> 00:38:25.080 They're hugging. They can barely lift. 00:38:25.240 --> 00:38:26.400 The power's gone. 00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:33.480 - Your man looks tired. 00:38:33.640 --> 00:38:34.960 - They're both tired. 00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:03.560 - "They battled to a brutal draw. 00:39:03.720 --> 00:39:05.600 "Now, each was dead on his feet. 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:08.560 "But Caesar was bound by the letter of his own law. 00:39:08.720 --> 00:39:11.440 "The rules were clear: there had to be a winner. 00:39:11.600 --> 00:39:15.880 And only a raised finger could stop the bout." 00:39:16.040 --> 00:39:19.880 - If the gladiator is wounded, if he's down on the sands, 00:39:20.040 --> 00:39:22.520 he can lift his finger 00:39:22.680 --> 00:39:25.280 and ask for misio-- 00:39:25.440 --> 00:39:28.200 ask for survival. 00:39:48.160 --> 00:39:51.960 - What Martial says is that they both submitted. 00:39:52.120 --> 00:39:54.240 And the crowd don't know what to make of it. 00:39:58.600 --> 00:40:00.960 - One staff. 00:40:01.120 --> 00:40:02.960 One winner. 00:40:10.840 --> 00:40:12.160 - The outcome of the games 00:40:12.320 --> 00:40:13.720 is ultimately decided by the emperor. 00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:15.840 But he's there to please the audience. 00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:17.520 It's very rare that the emperor's 00:40:17.600 --> 00:40:18.600 gonna go against the people 00:40:18.680 --> 00:40:20.520 because he does not want to be unpopular. 00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:32.440 - And the crowd, you can imagine they're going wild. 00:40:32.600 --> 00:40:34.720 Some of them would have been cheering for Priscus, 00:40:34.880 --> 00:40:36.200 some cheering for Verus. 00:40:36.360 --> 00:40:37.880 What's the emperor going to do? 00:40:38.040 --> 00:40:40.080 He might say, "Well, you've both submitted. 00:40:40.240 --> 00:40:41.800 You should both die." 00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:47.600 - Ultimately, Titus is gonna have to make a decision. 00:40:47.760 --> 00:40:51.360 But he cannot go against his word. 00:40:51.520 --> 00:40:54.080 - As my brother has reminded me... 00:40:56.600 --> 00:40:58.040 There is only one staff. 00:41:00.200 --> 00:41:02.680 And that means 00:41:02.840 --> 00:41:06.920 there can only be one winner! 00:41:09.720 --> 00:41:12.720 - Holding the rudus, this symbol of liberty, 00:41:12.880 --> 00:41:15.040 Titus is literally holding 00:41:15.200 --> 00:41:18.600 their life and death in his hands. 00:41:51.760 --> 00:41:53.320 - To you both. 00:42:02.680 --> 00:42:07.240 Champions of Rome! 00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:14.200 - Titus ultimately doesn't designate one the winner 00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:15.840 and one the loser. 00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:17.600 Both were the victors-- 00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:20.480 victors, in this case, over death. 00:42:22.240 --> 00:42:24.240 - Titus is stealing the limelight. 00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:27.040 But he's showing that he is ultimately in charge 00:42:27.200 --> 00:42:29.440 of life and death over everybody. 00:42:29.600 --> 00:42:32.480 And if you fight well, if you serve him well, 00:42:32.640 --> 00:42:36.080 if you're loyal to the emperor, then you will be rewarded. 00:42:38.200 --> 00:42:40.680 narrator: Titus has used his political instincts 00:42:40.840 --> 00:42:44.480 to turn a potential embarrassment into a triumph. 00:42:47.640 --> 00:42:52.560 - It's a culmination of power, of control, of distraction. 00:42:52.720 --> 00:42:56.240 It's everything, really, the Colosseum stood for. 00:42:56.400 --> 00:42:58.840 - Imagine what it must feel like for Priscus and Verus-- 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:02.640 overwhelming relief, pride, joy, 00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:04.240 and they will have been conscious 00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:07.120 that they're going to be remembered forever. 00:43:07.280 --> 00:43:10.360 And here we are, still talking about them. 00:43:14.840 --> 00:43:16.720 - My father demands a new palace. 00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:18.280 And it must be built without delay. 00:43:18.440 --> 00:43:20.040 - It will be done. 00:43:20.200 --> 00:43:22.120 - In size and scale and scope, 00:43:22.280 --> 00:43:25.120 the colosseum was the ultimate. 00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:26.440 - And it's a place that was built 00:43:26.600 --> 00:43:28.760 in order to provide unity to Rome. 00:43:28.920 --> 00:43:30.400 both: Hail Caesar! 00:43:30.560 --> 00:43:34.280 - A great set of games will revive this whole city. 00:43:34.440 --> 00:43:38.360 - It was the symbol of how to live as a Roman 00:43:38.520 --> 00:43:40.880 and how to die as a Roman... 00:43:42.200 --> 00:43:44.040 - With strength, with courage, 00:43:44.200 --> 00:43:45.640 and with honor. 00:43:45.800 --> 00:43:47.960 - I want to be a gladiator. 00:43:48.120 --> 00:43:49.320 - You don't belong here. 00:43:49.320 --> 00:43:51.240 - I'll hold the greatest games the world has ever seen. 00:43:51.400 --> 00:43:52.720 Hold it! 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:57.440 - As long as the Colosseum stands, 00:43:57.600 --> 00:44:00.240 Rome shall stand. 00:44:00.400 --> 00:44:04.080 If the Colosseum falls, Rome will fall. 00:44:07.880 --> 00:44:11.600 - The only way most of us leave the Colosseum... 00:44:13.280 --> 00:44:14.360 Is as dust.