WEBVTT

00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:26.280
Welcome, one and all,

00:00:26.360 --> 00:00:30.200
To the greatest games
         ever witnessed.

00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:33.320
A spectacle
     unlike any seen before.

00:00:37.080 --> 00:00:41.320
A lone warrior will fight

00:00:41.400 --> 00:00:43.560
In mortal combat

00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:45.320
Not one fearsome beast...

00:00:47.080 --> 00:00:51.000
Not five or ten...

00:00:51.080 --> 00:00:55.240
But 20 of the fiercest beasts.

00:00:55.480 --> 00:00:58.760
The greatest beast master
          in the empire,

00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:01.320
Carpophorus.

00:01:11.600 --> 00:01:14.760
The colosseum
is the roman empire

00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:17.800
Distilled
    to its most basic essence.

00:01:19.160 --> 00:01:20.760
It is a symbol of conquest.

00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:24.760
It's a symbol of dominance.

00:01:24.880 --> 00:01:26.440
It's a symbol
        of imperial power

00:01:26.520 --> 00:01:28.520
Radiating throughout
         the roman world.

00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:32.680
Now.

00:01:34.520 --> 00:01:35.960
Any emperor
had the colosseum

00:01:36.080 --> 00:01:38.680
At his disposal
        to use as a tool

00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:41.080
To reassert his power
         and authority.

00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:44.760
The message
to the roman people

00:01:44.880 --> 00:01:48.840
Is that life is a combat.

00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:53.000
It was also
a judicial warning.

00:01:53.080 --> 00:01:55.720
Do not test the power of rome.

00:01:55.960 --> 00:01:59.480
It was a death penalty offense.

00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.800
If you live by the sword,

00:02:05.880 --> 00:02:07.240
You die by the sword.

00:02:10.160 --> 00:02:13.720
It demonstrates the power
of the colosseum.

00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:17.400
It made slaves into heroes,

00:02:17.480 --> 00:02:20.280
Upending the power structure
             of rome.

00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.280
The colosseum
would come to symbolize

00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.680
The rise and fall of rome.

00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:30.760
It's all there:

00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:33.240
The blood, the glory,
        the magnificence,

00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.560
And the flaws

00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:37.960
That made rome
       the greatest empire

00:02:38.040 --> 00:02:39.520
That europe has ever seen.

00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:04.280
83 a.D., the opening day
of a new series of games

00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:08.040
That emperor domitian promises
        will be dazzling.

00:03:10.160 --> 00:03:13.240
The headline: "the most
      extravagant beast hunt

00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:14.920
Rome has ever seen."

00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:20.280
The beast hunts
  were much more

00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:22.440
Than just fighting animals.

00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.240
It was a way
   to demonstrate roman control

00:03:25.320 --> 00:03:27.160
Over the entire world,

00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.600
Both the human world
   and also the natural world.

00:03:35.160 --> 00:03:38.360
Domitian is a real contrast
to his brother and father.

00:03:38.480 --> 00:03:40.040
While his father, vespasian,

00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.320
Had been a bluff man
          of the people

00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:47.480
And titus had been charming
           and suave,

00:03:47.600 --> 00:03:50.840
Domitian was all harsh edges.

00:03:54.760 --> 00:03:56.440
From domitian's perspective,

00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:58.520
To follow his father,
            vespasian,

00:03:58.600 --> 00:04:00.080
And his elder brother, titus,

00:04:00.160 --> 00:04:01.360
That was a difficult act...

00:04:02.480 --> 00:04:03.880
In terms of military prowess

00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:06.600
And in terms
       of their popularity.

00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:09.320
So domitian had to strike out
    in a different direction

00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.040
To win the goodwill
       of the roman people.

00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.600
He decides to use the power
         of the colosseum

00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:17.800
By putting on
        the greatest show

00:04:17.880 --> 00:04:20.440
That anyone had ever seen.

00:04:28.280 --> 00:04:30.440
Narrator: At the center
    of this deadly spectacle,

00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.680
One man, a famed beast master,
          or bestiarius,

00:04:34.760 --> 00:04:37.880
Charged
    with facing 20 wild beasts

00:04:37.960 --> 00:04:40.600
One after the other.

00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:43.240
Most of 'em weren't
successful long enough

00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:45.720
For us to learn their name,

00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:49.000
But there was one beast master

00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:51.720
That the poet martial
            mentions.

00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:55.640
His name is carpophorus.

00:04:55.760 --> 00:04:59.240
To have caught the attention
of a poet of martial's caliber,

00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:01.480
The fight
    must've been incredible.

00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.200
Beast masters
were enslaved people.

00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:07.160
And so therefore,
     they were also a display

00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:09.320
Of roman domination
         over the people

00:05:09.400 --> 00:05:12.360
Subjected by the roman empire.

00:05:12.440 --> 00:05:14.520
Narrator:
  The animals carpophorus faces

00:05:14.640 --> 00:05:16.760
Come from all over
         the roman world.

00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.640
You had bears and wolves
and boars from the northlands.

00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:26.120
You had crocodiles
    and ostriches from egypt,

00:05:26.200 --> 00:05:28.360
The big cats
        from north africa,

00:05:28.440 --> 00:05:29.960
Tigers from asia.

00:05:30.200 --> 00:05:32.600
The range of animals
   that appeared in the arena

00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:36.280
Were, in a sense, a showcase
   of the power and the extent

00:05:36.400 --> 00:05:38.440
Of the empire.

00:05:40.880 --> 00:05:44.120
We can estimate
perhaps a million animals

00:05:44.200 --> 00:05:46.520
Were killed in the colosseum,

00:05:46.640 --> 00:05:48.520
Many of whom were slaughtered

00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:50.280
With the hands
        of beast masters.

00:05:53.440 --> 00:05:56.200
Just as the romans
      brought wild animals

00:05:56.280 --> 00:05:58.440
From all over the empire,

00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.160
So the beast masters
            were drawn

00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.040
From wherever
   the romans could find slaves

00:06:04.080 --> 00:06:06.080
With the talent to kill.

00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.640
Narrator: The romans' favorite
    hunting ground for animals

00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.480
Was its prized territories
         in north africa.

00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:26.520
The ancient kingdom of numidia

00:06:26.760 --> 00:06:29.400
In what is now algeria
           and tunisia

00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.800
Is hugely significant.

00:06:31.880 --> 00:06:36.040
Numidia and north africa
were extremely important

00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:37.240
For rome.

00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:41.080
They supplied luxury goods,

00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:42.920
Like marble,

00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:46.680
And they were the breadbasket
             for rome

00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.640
And the rest of the empire.

00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:51.640
Without northern africa,

00:06:51.880 --> 00:06:55.880
Rome could not have fed itself.

00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:58.360
Numidia was also

00:06:58.440 --> 00:07:02.120
An extremely important
             resource

00:07:02.200 --> 00:07:04.280
For wild animals.

00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:07.720
Narrator:
     It was also most likely

00:07:07.840 --> 00:07:09.560
Where carpophorus lived.

00:07:09.640 --> 00:07:11.240
At the time
       of domitian's reign,

00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:13.960
North africa had been
       under roman control

00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:16.120
For over 200 years,

00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:17.880
So the romans
        were no strangers

00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:21.160
To these local hunters.

00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:23.640
Even more cages.

00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.840
Soon there'll be no more
animals left in the mountains.

00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:30.920
There was a part
of the roman military

00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:32.600
That was specifically assigned
          with the task

00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:35.000
Of gaining the beasts
      for the beast hunts.

00:07:37.320 --> 00:07:39.480
But also,
  the emperor will have employed

00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:41.160
A series of hunters.

00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.320
There would be locals
     of that particular area

00:07:43.440 --> 00:07:45.040
Who had a knowledge
         of the animals,

00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.000
Who had a knowledge
     of how to capture them.

00:07:47.080 --> 00:07:49.120
An average roman soldier
        will have no idea

00:07:49.200 --> 00:07:51.560
Where to find a lion
      or how to hunt a lion,

00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:53.240
But the locals will.

00:07:53.320 --> 00:07:55.640
Coming from the foothills
of the aurès mountains,

00:07:55.880 --> 00:07:59.000
Carpophorus would have been
       absolutely integral

00:07:59.080 --> 00:08:02.840
To roman efforts
      from a very young age.

00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.120
A lion.

00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:19.560
The construction
of the colosseum

00:08:19.640 --> 00:08:21.800
Creates a great demand
         for wild beasts.

00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.120
Anything that the romans
    could get their hands on

00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:26.920
That they thought would be
    dangerous and interesting

00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:29.080
To watch it die
        in the colosseum,

00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:31.240
That's what they were
           looking for.

00:08:32.520 --> 00:08:35.400
A lot of what we knew
about the hunting and capture

00:08:35.520 --> 00:08:39.480
Of wild animals from the arena
 comes from a mosaic in sicily,

00:08:39.560 --> 00:08:42.760
In a place
     called piazza armerina.

00:08:42.880 --> 00:08:45.720
It shows
     this enormous operation

00:08:45.800 --> 00:08:47.080
In very great detail.

00:08:48.520 --> 00:08:51.640
We see in the mosaic
that they employed dogs

00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.520
To round up bisons and deer.

00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:56.680
It shows
   that leopards were captured

00:08:56.760 --> 00:08:57.960
In cage-like structures.

00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:01.280
We see that
       to capture big cats,

00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.520
They would use live bait
     and lure them into pits.

00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:06.360
Another technique
         was to use nets

00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:08.520
That were disguised as bushes
       and get that animal

00:09:08.640 --> 00:09:11.720
To be ensnared into the bush
         and be captured.

00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.440
They show the capture
of bison, lions,

00:09:14.560 --> 00:09:18.360
Elephants, rhinos, lynxes.

00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:20.680
Unfortunately,
         the roman thirst

00:09:20.760 --> 00:09:24.840
For wild beasts for the arena
     has a disastrous impact

00:09:24.920 --> 00:09:27.400
On the wildlife
        of north africa.

00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:32.600
The result is,
the considerable number

00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:35.800
Of major species
   of animals were eliminated,

00:09:35.880 --> 00:09:38.200
Simply eliminated.

00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.120
The north african elephant
   appears to have disappeared

00:09:41.160 --> 00:09:42.680
Completely as the result

00:09:42.920 --> 00:09:46.440
Of roman appetite for animals
        to kill for sport.

00:09:46.560 --> 00:09:48.680
One roman poet said,
"no longer shall

00:09:48.800 --> 00:09:53.600
The furthest wilds of libya
  echo with the roar of lions."

00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.240
The ancient world is a place
where might is right,

00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.560
So the romans thought
     that they had the right

00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:07.080
To exploit a territory,
      to exploit a people.

00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:12.120
There is an appalling truth
     about the ancient world

00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:15.400
That there is constant
          and sustained

00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:19.880
And systematic enslavement
       of subject peoples,

00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.240
What they describe
         as human booty.

00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:25.400
We take them both to rome.

00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:28.360
- Both?
    - The lion and your son.

00:10:31.160 --> 00:10:32.840
You can't.

00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.240
Take him away.

00:10:44.160 --> 00:10:45.880
There's no sentiment
  attached.

00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.040
Both the beast masters
       and the wild animals

00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:50.040
Are seen as commodities.

00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:51.640
And in terms of the colosseum,

00:10:51.880 --> 00:10:53.280
They're simply there
      for the entertainment

00:10:53.400 --> 00:10:55.280
Of the masses.

00:10:57.280 --> 00:10:59.080
Narrator:
      Carpophorus now faces

00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:02.280
The long and dangerous journey
            to rome...

00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:03.960
As a slave.

00:11:09.160 --> 00:11:12.040
Narrator:
    Within days of his capture

00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:14.040
In his homeland of numidia,

00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.640
Carpophorus boards a boat
         headed to rome.

00:11:20.520 --> 00:11:22.440
He's thrust
       into a vast network

00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:26.600
Of enslaved people
   spanning the mediterranean.

00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:29.640
You have the unfree
  from africa,

00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:31.720
From asia, from europe,

00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.760
And the outposts
       of the roman world.

00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:36.760
We're told that on one
     particular greek island

00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:39.480
Called delos,
       10,000 slaves a day

00:11:39.560 --> 00:11:43.080
Would be traded
    across the roman empire.

00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:46.200
Narrator: But carpophorus
    is bound for the capital.

00:11:48.040 --> 00:11:49.720
Every day, there are
hundreds of ships

00:11:49.960 --> 00:11:53.240
Crisscrossing
   the mediterranean to ostia,

00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:55.640
The port of rome.

00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:57.960
And ostia means
       literally "mouth."

00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.920
It was the mouth
   which fed the city of rome.

00:12:05.880 --> 00:12:07.720
Rome was a consumer city.

00:12:07.800 --> 00:12:09.320
Everything is being imported.

00:12:09.400 --> 00:12:11.960
Everything is coming
         through ostia.

00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:17.480
You're getting
      imported luxury items

00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:20.760
From all over the empire,
             jewelry,

00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.040
And of course you're getting
        imported animals.

00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:26.840
The romans had
an insatiable taste

00:12:26.920 --> 00:12:29.320
For exotic animals.

00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:31.160
Thousands and thousands
          and thousands

00:12:31.400 --> 00:12:33.880
Were being shipped in.

00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.800
It shows the importance
    of the games in roman life

00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:40.200
That the emperors thought,
     "this is part of my job.

00:12:40.280 --> 00:12:41.440
"this is part of what binds

00:12:41.520 --> 00:12:43.320
The people of the city of rome
             to me."

00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:45.640
This was what it took
      to sate their demands,

00:12:45.760 --> 00:12:47.760
To meet their bloodlust.

00:12:49.280 --> 00:12:51.960
Narrator: An endless supply
        of enslaved people

00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.320
Serves that bloodlust.

00:12:57.160 --> 00:13:02.360
The process of enslavement
involved a kind of alienation.

00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:07.640
Wait!

00:13:07.880 --> 00:13:10.920
Entering the slave system
of the ancient mediterranean

00:13:11.040 --> 00:13:15.080
Entailed the leaving behind
    of one's former identity.

00:13:15.160 --> 00:13:17.560
That meant that one was
      assigned a new name.

00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:23.400
From now on, your name is...

00:13:23.520 --> 00:13:24.920
Carpophorus.

00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:30.440
Carpophorus means
"fruit bearer,"

00:13:30.520 --> 00:13:32.920
Someone who's bringing
      some of the resources

00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:37.080
Of the roman imperial world
   to offer to the spectators.

00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:44.360
The slave name is a shorthand
for someone who is subhuman.

00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:47.400
Someone who is more an animal
          than a person.

00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:54.040
Removing someone's given name
     is an exercise in power

00:13:54.280 --> 00:13:56.440
And control.

00:13:56.520 --> 00:13:58.600
We have no friends here.

00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.040
You and I.

00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:04.120
Narrator:
  Carpophorus' final destination

00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:07.160
Is 13 miles
     from the port of ostia,

00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:10.520
The colossal city of rome.

00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:15.400
Founded
   in the eighth century b.C.,

00:14:15.520 --> 00:14:18.200
Rome was situated
       on the river tiber,

00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:22.120
Allowing easy access
    of supplies from the sea.

00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:23.960
Surrounded by seven hills,

00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:26.120
Providing defense
         and protection,

00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:28.920
What began as a small
     collection of villages,

00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.320
By the first century a.D.,
            had grown

00:14:31.560 --> 00:14:34.360
Into the world's
         first megacity.

00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:37.320
Rome had a population
of a million people.

00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.880
That is the largest population
           in any city

00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:43.080
Anywhere in the world
        for 1,500 years.

00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:45.720
The next city
   to be that sized population

00:14:45.800 --> 00:14:48.000
Is victorian london.

00:14:48.040 --> 00:14:50.360
Of those million people
             in rome,

00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.720
Over 300,000 of them
           were slaves.

00:14:56.920 --> 00:14:59.960
Carpophorus is coming
  into a city

00:15:00.200 --> 00:15:01.720
That's tightly packed.

00:15:01.800 --> 00:15:04.840
It's surrounded
   with just an absolute babble

00:15:04.920 --> 00:15:08.040
Of voices speaking languages
  that he's never heard before.

00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:10.760
There would've
  been egyptians

00:15:10.880 --> 00:15:12.680
And alexandrians and africans,

00:15:12.800 --> 00:15:14.840
Numidians and other berbers,

00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:16.360
And there would've been
          arabs there.

00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:18.280
There would've been europeans
           and germans

00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:20.360
And people from britannia.

00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.800
And that would've been one
  of the excitements of a city.

00:15:25.400 --> 00:15:27.640
The city
is this enormous vacuum

00:15:27.880 --> 00:15:31.880
*ing up people
    from all over the empire,

00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.640
So carpophorus would not have
     been at all out of place

00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:37.640
In the city of rome.

00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:40.840
Skin color
was not a determination

00:15:40.920 --> 00:15:44.200
Of status, of class.

00:15:44.280 --> 00:15:46.040
It's not what you look like.

00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:48.600
It's not even
      where you were born.

00:15:48.680 --> 00:15:51.240
It's whether you are
     a roman citizen or not.

00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:55.240
Narrator:
  Carpophorus will one day fight

00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:57.800
As a beast master
         in his new city.

00:15:57.880 --> 00:16:01.080
But first,
     he must learn his craft.

00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:05.880
Carpophorus would not,
of course, have been brought

00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:09.000
Directly into the colosseum
   and put before the people.

00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:11.880
He would've first been brought

00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:13.800
To the ludus matutinus,

00:16:13.880 --> 00:16:16.000
The newly established
         training ground

00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:17.320
For beast hunters
          in the shadow

00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:19.320
Of the colosseum.

00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.640
Domitian was
very, very conscious

00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.520
Of the fact that his father
         and his brother

00:16:26.760 --> 00:16:28.360
Sort of owned the colosseum,

00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:30.760
And he felt
  that he had to go one further

00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:34.040
To show he was really
     committed to roman sport

00:16:34.280 --> 00:16:35.960
And to the roman people.

00:16:36.040 --> 00:16:39.160
The way that domitian decided
          to strike out

00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:42.360
And impress his own personality
       on the roman people

00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:44.120
Was to build
       a specialized school

00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:47.160
Devoted to beast fighting,
       the ludus matutinus.

00:16:49.160 --> 00:16:51.480
The name means
"morning schools"

00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:55.200
Because the traditional time
 within the gladiatorial display

00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:58.200
For beast hunting
       was in the morning.

00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:01.080
The very, very large,
        expensive facility

00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.520
Was an effort
    to establish a direct link

00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:06.760
Between himself
         and the populace

00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:08.200
Of the city of rome

00:17:08.280 --> 00:17:10.520
As their benefactor
        and entertainer.

00:17:15.560 --> 00:17:16.680
Welcome.

00:17:18.760 --> 00:17:20.520
Now you belong to me.

00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:24.440
It is a very militarized,

00:17:24.520 --> 00:17:27.960
Very severe environment.

00:17:28.040 --> 00:17:31.160
- Out!
  - These are brutal academies

00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:32.600
For the violent arts.

00:17:35.320 --> 00:17:36.760
You can't escape.

00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:46.120
You'll have to learn
to run faster than that.

00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:57.160
The only way most of us leave
           is as dust.

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.040
Narrator:
     After arriving in rome,

00:18:07.120 --> 00:18:08.840
Carpophorus begins
           his training

00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.440
At a special school
         called a ludus.

00:18:12.520 --> 00:18:14.280
If you're a beast master
  in a ludus,

00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.720
Effectively, you're a slave.

00:18:17.800 --> 00:18:20.280
It's no better than being
      in a military barracks

00:18:20.360 --> 00:18:22.760
Or probably a prison.

00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:24.920
We know
that the training grounds

00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:28.600
Were not comfortable
      athletic facilities.

00:18:28.840 --> 00:18:30.120
These were harsh facilities

00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:32.520
Designed to produce hard men.

00:18:36.360 --> 00:18:39.480
We have now been able
  to excavate training grounds,

00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:41.400
In particular at pompeii,

00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:45.240
Showing that the places
 in which they slept were small.

00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:48.680
There were undoubtedly
           several men

00:18:48.760 --> 00:18:50.840
Crammed into a room at a time
       and it's very, very,

00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:52.840
Overwhelmingly likely
       they were locked in

00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:55.800
Whenever
     they were not training.

00:18:56.280 --> 00:18:58.120
The ludus was closed off

00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:02.360
From the surrounding
     neighborhood with walls.

00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.000
Access was strictly controlled.

00:19:08.320 --> 00:19:10.520
The beast masters are
in the ludus to do one thing,

00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:13.480
And that is to train
         for the games.

00:19:13.600 --> 00:19:16.680
The training itself
     is exceptionally tough.

00:19:16.760 --> 00:19:19.640
They were being trained
       in how to use a net,

00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:21.520
How to use a spear,
        how to use a bow.

00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:22.800
It really depends
          on what animal

00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:24.200
They're going to be fighting.

00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:25.960
Different techniques involved

00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:27.600
In fighting different animals.

00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:29.000
Almost everything
  that we know

00:19:29.120 --> 00:19:30.120
About beast masters,

00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:31.840
From the weapons they used,

00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:33.320
The style of fighting
         that they used,

00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:34.840
Or even the clothes
         that they wore,

00:19:35.080 --> 00:19:37.480
Come directly from roman art,

00:19:37.560 --> 00:19:39.760
So mosaics and frescos.

00:19:41.120 --> 00:19:42.760
There are some
beautiful mosaics,

00:19:42.840 --> 00:19:46.040
Horrifying mosaics,
      that give us details

00:19:46.280 --> 00:19:49.560
Of various aspects
         of the process.

00:19:49.800 --> 00:19:51.640
We see them in action

00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:54.120
At heightened moments
           especially.

00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:59.960
Often the death blow
         for the animal.

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.280
There is an active
self-identification there.

00:20:03.360 --> 00:20:05.640
This person is carrying out
  the will of the roman people.

00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:07.320
This person is
         a representative

00:20:07.560 --> 00:20:10.840
Of our greatness as a society.

00:20:10.920 --> 00:20:13.320
They were symbols
of masculine virility.

00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:14.760
They were * symbols.

00:20:14.840 --> 00:20:16.520
They were exceptional athletes.

00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:19.320
They were the superheroes
          of the empire.

00:20:19.560 --> 00:20:21.960
In the same way
  that you might put up posters

00:20:22.040 --> 00:20:23.560
Of famous actors,

00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:25.400
That's how you would have
      beast masters painted

00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:27.560
On the walls of houses.

00:20:32.600 --> 00:20:35.640
When carpophorus
is in the ludus,

00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:38.440
He's having to learn
   a whole variety of skills.

00:20:38.560 --> 00:20:41.080
He's having to learn
         hunting skills.

00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:44.200
He's also having to learn
    to look after the animals

00:20:44.280 --> 00:20:46.200
To make sure
        they stay healthy.

00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:49.480
He's learning how
  to prepare them for the arena.

00:20:49.600 --> 00:20:51.880
He may want to train them
        in certain tricks,

00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:54.280
As it were.

00:20:54.360 --> 00:20:56.600
All of this made
the beast masters' occupation

00:20:56.840 --> 00:20:59.800
Somewhere between a zookeeper
   and a professional fighter.

00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:01.400
It involved a bunch
    of different skill sets.

00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.840
It was extremely difficult,

00:21:03.080 --> 00:21:04.920
And it was also,
       as you can imagine,

00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.000
Extremely dangerous.

00:21:11.800 --> 00:21:14.680
On the other hand, we do
have these interesting stories

00:21:14.760 --> 00:21:18.440
About animal memory
      and animal friendship

00:21:18.520 --> 00:21:19.560
That are striking.

00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:25.640
Don't get too close,
 carpophorus.

00:21:25.760 --> 00:21:28.280
These animals are here
         for one reason.

00:21:28.520 --> 00:21:30.280
One reason only.

00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:31.880
Remember that.

00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:36.440
Thinking about someone
like carpophorus,

00:21:36.520 --> 00:21:38.520
He has been uprooted
        from his homeland

00:21:38.760 --> 00:21:40.840
And brought to fight
         in the capitol.

00:21:40.920 --> 00:21:43.480
So were many of his victims,
   so were many of the animals

00:21:43.560 --> 00:21:45.320
That were brought
        from his homeland,

00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:48.840
So there might have been
   a strange sort of symbiosis

00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:50.520
Or a strange sort
         of camaraderie

00:21:50.760 --> 00:21:52.920
Between killer and killed.

00:21:54.520 --> 00:21:56.440
There's the animals
        from his homeland

00:21:56.520 --> 00:21:58.760
Who, in a certain sense,
         shared his fate.

00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.560
But the spectacle was not
just about killing the animals.

00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:05.480
Sometimes it was just
         to watch them.

00:22:05.520 --> 00:22:07.320
The romans really reveled
            in them.

00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:09.560
Sometimes
for the roman audience

00:22:09.800 --> 00:22:12.120
In the colosseum,
      just seeing crocodiles

00:22:12.360 --> 00:22:14.440
Lying in a dish full of water

00:22:14.520 --> 00:22:17.000
Or seeing leopards run
       in a straight line

00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:20.120
Without the blood
     was a very entertaining,

00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.360
Amusing spectacle.

00:22:22.600 --> 00:22:25.320
Roman historians report
   that this line of leopards

00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:29.080
Running by caused people
   to just fall down laughing.

00:22:29.320 --> 00:22:31.720
The average roman
is not going to leave rome.

00:22:31.840 --> 00:22:33.960
For them to be able to go
    to the colosseum was like

00:22:34.040 --> 00:22:36.600
Bringing the farthest reaches
        of the known world

00:22:36.840 --> 00:22:38.680
To rome itself.

00:22:38.760 --> 00:22:40.840
It's an opportunity to see

00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:42.040
What were to the romans aliens.

00:22:42.120 --> 00:22:44.360
Imagine seeing a rhino
       for the first time.

00:22:46.040 --> 00:22:48.280
We have sources
     talking about giraffes,

00:22:48.360 --> 00:22:50.280
How terrified people were
           of giraffes,

00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.440
An animal
      with its neck so long,

00:22:52.520 --> 00:22:53.920
Spots like a leopard,

00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:55.600
A ferocious creature
        that could reach

00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:57.800
Into the highest
         roman apartment

00:22:57.840 --> 00:22:58.880
And eat your children.

00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:02.120
The poet martial writes
        about an incident

00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:05.320
In which an elephant bowed
     in front of the emperor.

00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.160
Of course,
       it's trained to bow,

00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:08.520
But the romans
         don't know that.

00:23:08.600 --> 00:23:10.560
They just see this creature,

00:23:10.600 --> 00:23:13.240
This monster, this alien,
   bowing before the emperor,

00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:15.880
And it shows his majesty,
          his divinity.

00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:19.240
Narrator:
   But witnessing circus tricks

00:23:19.360 --> 00:23:23.160
Isn't enough for rome's
       bloodthirsty crowds.

00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:26.840
To please them,
  beast masters need to do more.

00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:29.560
that's good. Good.

00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:31.800
Good. Come on. Come here.

00:23:32.040 --> 00:23:34.120
Beast fights
were entertainment.

00:23:40.040 --> 00:23:41.960
There would have had
       to be a showmanship

00:23:42.080 --> 00:23:43.720
From the beast masters.

00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:46.600
That would have had
     its own sort of routine

00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:48.920
And its own climax
        and storytelling.

00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:51.160
So they had to learn
        all these skills

00:23:51.280 --> 00:23:52.280
In order to please
        not just the crowd

00:23:52.360 --> 00:23:53.960
But the emperor.

00:24:03.840 --> 00:24:06.680
You are ready.

00:24:06.760 --> 00:24:08.640
Narrator:
  While carpophorus is training,

00:24:08.760 --> 00:24:11.000
The emperor domitian returns
          from germania,

00:24:11.080 --> 00:24:13.800
Where he has been fighting
        barbarian tribes.

00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:15.800
He decides
     to celebrate his victory

00:24:16.040 --> 00:24:19.800
At the colosseum and begins
   planning a series of games.

00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:23.880
Domitian still has things
 to prove.

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:28.280
He still has this insecurity,
  and holding magnificent games

00:24:28.360 --> 00:24:30.440
Is one way
     of working around that.

00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:34.600
Narrator: Meanwhile,
    carpophorus fights his way

00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.120
Across the empire
        in smaller arenas,

00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:40.520
Earning a reputation and fans.

00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.240
Each victory brought
carpophorus more fame.

00:24:50.600 --> 00:24:54.000
Made the crowd
 more interested in seeing him.

00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:56.840
And that meant a ticket

00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:58.680
To the final destination:

00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:01.000
Fighting in front
     of the emperor himself.

00:25:11.040 --> 00:25:12.840
Narrator:
    As a winning beast master,

00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:16.760
It's likely that carpophorus
   would be given small perks.

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.680
Money talks in ancient rome.

00:25:18.760 --> 00:25:21.400
I mean, every aspect of roman
      sports involves money,

00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:24.200
Whether you're a charioteer,
   whether you're a gladiator.

00:25:24.280 --> 00:25:25.720
You know,
   think of an average roman.

00:25:25.800 --> 00:25:28.920
He's earning 9,000 sesterce
             a year.

00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:30.680
Some gladiators could earn

00:25:30.760 --> 00:25:33.800
15,000 sesterce
        in a single bout.

00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:37.160
They became
    incredibly wealthy people.

00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:39.160
You would imagine
that a beast master

00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:41.400
Would be paid the same

00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:44.440
As a chariot racer
         or a gladiator,

00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:46.520
But this wasn't the case.

00:25:46.760 --> 00:25:51.640
These fighters of animals
      that could kill a man,

00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:53.480
They worked for tips.

00:25:53.600 --> 00:25:56.760
you earned it.

00:25:56.840 --> 00:25:59.160
We do not hear
of beast masters

00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:02.040
Growing tremendously wealthy.

00:26:02.280 --> 00:26:06.200
However, one thing that
   beast masters might hope for

00:26:06.280 --> 00:26:09.480
Is to get their freedom
     through their fighting.

00:26:09.560 --> 00:26:12.280
The possibility of freedom,
 it's there,

00:26:12.520 --> 00:26:13.880
But you have to rise
           to the top.

00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:16.280
You have to be
      somebody truly great.

00:26:21.800 --> 00:26:23.320
Narrator: Like gladiators,

00:26:23.360 --> 00:26:26.400
Beast masters compete
    to be featured performers,

00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:28.000
No matter how dangerous.

00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:35.480
These games
will be bigger, bolder,

00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:39.400
And better than anything
    rome has ever witnessed.

00:26:39.520 --> 00:26:43.560
The emperor has requested
        one beast master

00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:47.000
To be the main event
     of the morning opening,

00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:50.360
A fight with 20 beasts,

00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:52.920
One after another.

00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:55.000
The man rome demands is...

00:26:58.680 --> 00:26:59.800
Carpophorus.

00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:06.520
There was rivalry
between opposing beast masters.

00:27:08.040 --> 00:27:09.560
After all,
      there was glory, fame,

00:27:09.800 --> 00:27:11.400
And potential freedom
            at stake.

00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:17.400
We have evidence of this

00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:19.720
In curse tablets
         that were found

00:27:19.800 --> 00:27:21.800
In the amphitheater
          in carthage.

00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:26.440
The curse tablets contain
    spells and magical symbols

00:27:26.520 --> 00:27:28.440
That were meant
   to evoke the help of demons

00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:30.840
To harm rival beast masters.

00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:34.520
"kill, destroy,
and wound gallicus

00:27:34.600 --> 00:27:38.200
At his hour in the ring
      of the amphitheater."

00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:40.040
It's a very
cutthroat industry,

00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:43.040
And obviously, everybody's
     vying for that one spot.

00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:45.480
It's a very narcissistic sport,
        and what we know

00:27:45.600 --> 00:27:49.000
Is that they really hated
 each other at certain moments,

00:27:49.080 --> 00:27:51.720
Entreating the gods
        to do nasty things

00:27:51.760 --> 00:27:53.320
To other beast hunters.

00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:55.720
"bind gallicus,
the son of prima.

00:27:55.800 --> 00:27:58.440
Let the bear crush him
         and wound him."

00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:05.400
I'm sorry, my friend.

00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:07.640
The gods will decide
          our fate now.

00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:14.920
Narrator: In 83 a.D.,
    it's finally opening day,

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.040
And domitian's great games
       are ready to begin.

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:22.000
The commencement
  of the games

00:28:22.040 --> 00:28:24.400
Was a major deal
      for the city of rome.

00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:26.680
These took place on holidays.

00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:28.440
A great portion
        of the population

00:28:28.520 --> 00:28:29.960
Would have the day off.

00:28:30.080 --> 00:28:32.600
I think it's impossible
  to overstate

00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:35.720
The kind of excitement
      and energy of a crowd

00:28:35.800 --> 00:28:38.600
That's been pent up
          to see blood.

00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:40.120
The buzz would've been
       building for months

00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:42.520
By the time
     at least 50,000 people

00:28:42.600 --> 00:28:44.840
Made their way to the colosseum
    and packed themselves in.

00:28:53.320 --> 00:28:55.960
You can imagine
for someone like carpophorus,

00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:59.160
Beneath the floor
       of the amphitheater

00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:01.080
And waiting for his turn
            to go up

00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:02.760
And fight these 20 beasts...

00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:07.960
This is an opportunity
          of a lifetime.

00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:10.600
We can imagine
the stink of fear,

00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:12.520
The smell of wild animals.

00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:14.040
Everything is ready to go.

00:29:14.120 --> 00:29:16.040
You can hear the buzz
       of the crowd above.

00:29:19.320 --> 00:29:22.760
Eventually, the emperor
would take his place

00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:28.040
And would be watched
   by everyone in the vicinity.

00:29:28.120 --> 00:29:31.240
I have no doubt
   that domitian was well aware

00:29:31.360 --> 00:29:33.320
Of what could happen
          to an emperor

00:29:33.400 --> 00:29:35.800
Who failed to put on
        spectacular games

00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:38.040
For the people in attendance.

00:29:38.120 --> 00:29:41.320
So this matters for him
     as a way of shoring up

00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:44.600
What seems to have been an
 unsteady political reputation.

00:29:49.280 --> 00:29:51.000
Part of the spectacle

00:29:51.080 --> 00:29:52.600
Of putting on a proper
   beast fight in the colosseum

00:29:52.840 --> 00:29:54.280
Was making sure that

00:29:54.360 --> 00:29:55.720
The animals were
        properly prepared.

00:29:55.800 --> 00:29:57.400
That meant starving them.

00:29:58.720 --> 00:29:59.800
So beast masters are faced

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:01.640
With fighting apex predators...

00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:04.760
That are hungry,
         that are scared,

00:30:04.840 --> 00:30:06.720
That are nervous,
     that are being thrust up

00:30:06.800 --> 00:30:07.920
Through the bowels
         of the colosseum

00:30:08.040 --> 00:30:10.840
Into the daylight,
  surrounded by screaming fans,

00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:13.000
And then
   you've gotta go fight them.

00:30:13.040 --> 00:30:15.840
That is a tremendously
      frightening prospect.

00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:20.040
One man against one animal?

00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:22.440
That's a show.

00:30:22.560 --> 00:30:25.080
A single man will fight

00:30:25.320 --> 00:30:27.400
20 of the fiercest beasts

00:30:27.520 --> 00:30:30.840
From the furthest reaches
         of our empire.

00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:33.560
One man against 20

00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:36.280
Was a feat
 that had never been undertaken

00:30:36.520 --> 00:30:40.440
And would not be undertaken
           ever again.

00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:44.040
There's every chance that
carpophorus would not survive.

00:30:54.920 --> 00:30:57.640
Narrator: On the opening day
    of domitian's great games,

00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.800
Carpophorus must
          survive fights

00:31:00.040 --> 00:31:03.240
With 20 of the fiercest beasts
          in the empire,

00:31:03.360 --> 00:31:04.760
One after another.

00:31:15.520 --> 00:31:18.920
And now, the hyena.

00:31:24.840 --> 00:31:27.480
Narrator: Carpophorus' feat
         was immortalized

00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:30.200
By the imperial poet martial.

00:31:32.360 --> 00:31:34.920
Martial was fascinated
with the games.

00:31:35.040 --> 00:31:38.200
He was a sort of aficionado
      of all human nature.

00:31:40.320 --> 00:31:43.000
And of course,
   nothing was more fascinating

00:31:43.080 --> 00:31:45.560
Than what happened
        in the colosseum.

00:31:55.560 --> 00:31:58.200
"if former ages
had borne carpophorus,

00:31:58.280 --> 00:32:00.840
"marathon would not have
        feared the bull,

00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:02.760
"nor leafy nemea the lion,

00:32:02.840 --> 00:32:05.800
"nor the arcadians
       the maenalian boar.

00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:08.760
"however many were the
   glorious deeds of hercules,

00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:10.920
"it is far greater
         to have subdued

00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:14.600
20 savage beasts all at once."

00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:20.600
I think it's clear
that what domitian

00:32:20.840 --> 00:32:22.920
Is trying to do
       is draw an analogy,

00:32:23.040 --> 00:32:25.720
That he's saying
  carpophorus is like hercules.

00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:29.560
Narrator:
      The story of hercules

00:32:29.800 --> 00:32:31.400
Was one of rome's most popular

00:32:31.520 --> 00:32:34.440
And enduring
       mythological tales.

00:32:34.560 --> 00:32:36.920
Hercules has to carry out
            12 labors,

00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:40.200
Including the slaying
       of monstrous beasts,

00:32:40.280 --> 00:32:44.520
All to win the favor
        of the god apollo.

00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:46.200
Sometimes,
the games were put on

00:32:46.280 --> 00:32:47.800
With a mythological theme.

00:32:48.040 --> 00:32:50.440
They would reenact scenes
          of mythology.

00:32:50.520 --> 00:32:53.160
These myths were a way
       to teach the romans

00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:54.600
An important lesson.

00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:56.080
But if you couldn't read,

00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:57.800
The colosseum was
         an opportunity

00:32:57.800 --> 00:32:59.720
For you to see them,
       to experience them.

00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:09.160
Here's a mere mortal, a slave,

00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:11.240
The lowest of society.

00:33:11.320 --> 00:33:13.320
He is parallel to hercules.

00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:16.120
Actually, you know what?
   He's greater than hercules.

00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:18.120
Because hercules only had
            12 labors.

00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:19.720
Carpophorus had 20.

00:33:19.840 --> 00:33:21.480
Beast 12, the rhino!

00:33:21.560 --> 00:33:24.040
He's worthy of a poem.

00:33:24.120 --> 00:33:26.120
Narrator: But martial's poem
         is not designed

00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:28.680
To praise
  the beast master carpophorus.

00:33:28.800 --> 00:33:32.280
His true subject watches
        the combat unfold

00:33:32.360 --> 00:33:33.960
From the imperial box.

00:33:35.520 --> 00:33:37.880
By extolling the exploits
 of carpophorus,

00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:40.120
The poet martial is
         shedding glory

00:33:40.360 --> 00:33:42.680
On the emperor domitian himself

00:33:42.760 --> 00:33:45.880
Because domitian is
   the sponsor of these games.

00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:50.760
Beast number 19!

00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:12.360
Narrator: The emperor's
      beast hunts also serve

00:34:12.440 --> 00:34:16.200
Another vital function
           for romans.

00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:19.320
One of the most
remarkable aspects

00:34:19.560 --> 00:34:22.200
Of gladiatorial fighting
         in ancient rome

00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:24.280
When it comes
    to these exotic animals,

00:34:24.520 --> 00:34:27.400
Whether it be giraffes
            or rhinos

00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:30.360
Or lions or tigers
           or the like,

00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:32.600
Is that the meat
      from the dead animals

00:34:32.680 --> 00:34:36.120
Was given out
      to the people of rome,

00:34:36.160 --> 00:34:38.960
And this seems to have been
      a real crowd-pleaser,

00:34:39.080 --> 00:34:41.400
But also seems
      to have actually made

00:34:41.480 --> 00:34:43.160
An impact on the nutrition
       of the roman people.

00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:45.080
It was an important source
            of protein

00:34:45.160 --> 00:34:46.440
That they could count on.

00:34:48.520 --> 00:34:50.200
You have been invited
  by the emperor

00:34:50.280 --> 00:34:51.800
To eat with him,
        to drink with him,

00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:53.640
To share in the games
            with him.

00:34:53.720 --> 00:34:56.600
You remember the emperor
   that gave you lion burgers.

00:34:56.840 --> 00:34:58.680
You'd never had that before.

00:34:58.760 --> 00:35:01.000
Another reason
        we know about this

00:35:01.040 --> 00:35:03.320
Is because they drained
    one of the sewage systems

00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:05.000
In the colosseum,
    and what they found in it

00:35:05.080 --> 00:35:07.480
Was bones of a bear,
         of an ostrich,

00:35:07.560 --> 00:35:09.400
Of a wild boar, of horses.

00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:12.600
So they obviously
   would have cut the meat up,

00:35:12.680 --> 00:35:14.840
And then the bones were just
  thrown into the sewage system,

00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:16.600
And they've survived
           to this day.

00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:23.640
Narrator:
    On the sands of the arena,

00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:25.800
Only one final beast

00:35:25.880 --> 00:35:28.040
Stands between carpophorus

00:35:28.120 --> 00:35:29.640
And freedom.

00:35:31.520 --> 00:35:33.160
One final adversary!

00:35:50.600 --> 00:35:54.760
They arrived together
        from far numidia,

00:35:54.880 --> 00:35:58.920
But only one--
       only one can live.

00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:08.280
The lion's
a fearsome opponent.

00:36:08.520 --> 00:36:10.840
It is seven times stronger
        than a human being

00:36:11.080 --> 00:36:12.760
And can weigh
       up to a half a ton.

00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:14.680
It can run 50 miles an hour.

00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:17.080
And the swipe of a lion's paw,

00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:20.840
Delivering 400 pounds,
    was enough to decapitate

00:36:20.920 --> 00:36:22.200
A human being.

00:36:22.280 --> 00:36:25.640
For carpophorus,
    facing this apex predator,

00:36:25.720 --> 00:36:27.640
This was
      a massive undertaking.

00:36:37.240 --> 00:36:39.720
Narrator: The famed
     beast master carpophorus

00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:43.720
Has somehow managed to slay
        19 fearsome beasts

00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:45.400
And survive.

00:36:45.640 --> 00:36:48.200
Now, he has one opponent left.

00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:52.200
There's almost like
a religious aspect

00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:53.840
To the lion.

00:36:53.960 --> 00:36:55.160
He's this revered animal,

00:36:55.240 --> 00:36:56.600
Much as the eagle was
         to the romans.

00:36:56.680 --> 00:36:58.040
He's the top predator.

00:36:58.120 --> 00:36:59.720
He's the top of the food chain.

00:37:01.240 --> 00:37:02.520
And that, for the romans,

00:37:02.600 --> 00:37:05.400
Is a representation of rome.

00:37:13.400 --> 00:37:15.640
The lion has always been
  a symbol

00:37:15.720 --> 00:37:17.320
Of strength and ferocity

00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:19.240
In many ancient societies.

00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:30.040
They appeared in the palaces
of babylonian kings

00:37:30.280 --> 00:37:33.240
And in the court
     of alexander the great.

00:37:35.560 --> 00:37:38.520
But what the romans do is,
        they import lions

00:37:38.600 --> 00:37:39.680
In their thousands.

00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:41.480
So this is the romans, as ever,

00:37:41.560 --> 00:37:43.480
Trying to go one step further

00:37:43.560 --> 00:37:45.320
Than the civilization
      that went before them.

00:37:48.840 --> 00:37:51.480
So they're saying, "it's not
   just that we can kill lions.

00:37:51.560 --> 00:37:54.120
"it's that we can
         mass-slaughter

00:37:54.240 --> 00:37:57.280
"the most ferocious
      and powerful creature

00:37:57.520 --> 00:37:58.520
That mother nature
         has to offer."

00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:33.560
For carpophorus,

00:39:33.800 --> 00:39:37.000
It's an epic achievement
       that, sure enough,

00:39:37.120 --> 00:39:39.560
Has made his name
      live down in history.

00:39:43.320 --> 00:39:45.640
Perhaps by his victory
and accomplishments,

00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:47.480
Carpophorus actually challenged

00:39:47.560 --> 00:39:50.040
The very foundations
        of roman society

00:39:50.120 --> 00:39:51.480
Here was an enslaved person

00:39:51.560 --> 00:39:54.680
Who actually elevated himself
            as a hero

00:39:54.920 --> 00:39:57.160
And, in victory,
         became a symbol

00:39:57.280 --> 00:40:00.120
To the roman people
           of success.

00:40:00.360 --> 00:40:02.840
So perhaps
      carpophorus challenged

00:40:03.080 --> 00:40:04.520
The very notion
         of what it meant

00:40:04.640 --> 00:40:05.880
To be a slave.

00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:09.040
Well done, brother.

00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:25.600
Carpophorus was
at the center of all

00:40:25.680 --> 00:40:29.280
Because his feats
   in fighting exotic animals

00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:32.560
Really was the highlight
      of domitian's games,

00:40:32.800 --> 00:40:35.600
And domitian's games were meant
     to impress the people.

00:40:45.040 --> 00:40:47.600
The games are
a propaganda tool.

00:40:47.680 --> 00:40:50.960
The collection
     and systematic execution

00:40:51.200 --> 00:40:53.120
Of a bunch of exotic animals

00:40:53.200 --> 00:40:55.040
Was a very strong statement

00:40:55.160 --> 00:40:57.040
About the sort of
        superhuman power

00:40:57.280 --> 00:40:58.320
Of the emperor himself.

00:41:00.160 --> 00:41:02.240
Domitian's games
were a great success.

00:41:02.320 --> 00:41:04.880
The fact that they were
  written about to that extent,

00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:06.240
That people remembered them,

00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:08.600
Meant that he had been a hit
     with the roman people.

00:41:08.720 --> 00:41:10.400
The games had served
         their purpose.

00:41:14.360 --> 00:41:16.320
Of course,
    that didn't last forever.

00:41:16.440 --> 00:41:20.320
In rome, the love
   of the people wasn't enough.

00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:22.400
In 96 a.D.,
    an increasingly paranoid

00:41:22.520 --> 00:41:23.840
And tyrannical domitian

00:41:23.920 --> 00:41:26.160
Made enemies among the senate,

00:41:26.200 --> 00:41:27.320
Among rome's elite,

00:41:27.360 --> 00:41:29.600
And on their orders,
     he was knifed to death.

00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:39.440
We don't know what happens
to carpophorus,

00:41:39.520 --> 00:41:41.280
Where he goes from here,

00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:44.400
What profession he pursues.

00:41:44.640 --> 00:41:46.720
Does he go elsewhere
       in the roman world?

00:41:46.840 --> 00:41:49.680
Does he find peace somewhere?

00:41:49.920 --> 00:41:52.480
If a beast master
were ever going to have

00:41:52.560 --> 00:41:55.120
A chance for a life
       after the colosseum,

00:41:55.240 --> 00:41:57.600
Carpophorus would be
    a good candidate for that.

00:41:57.680 --> 00:41:59.280
We don't have to assume
      that coming to rome,

00:41:59.520 --> 00:42:01.360
Whether willingly
         or unwillingly,

00:42:01.440 --> 00:42:02.760
Was a one-way street.

00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:06.400
I'd like to imagine
that carpophorus,

00:42:06.520 --> 00:42:07.840
After this triumph,

00:42:07.960 --> 00:42:09.440
Has enough fame
         and enough money

00:42:09.520 --> 00:42:11.200
To buy his own freedom

00:42:11.280 --> 00:42:13.040
And perhaps, one day,
    to return to his homeland,

00:42:13.280 --> 00:42:16.160
Where he's not the stranger

00:42:16.240 --> 00:42:18.640
And the exotic
      professional hunter,

00:42:18.880 --> 00:42:22.160
But someone who could live
   at ease in his native soil.