The Real Gladiator
eBook - PDF

The Real Gladiator

The True Story of Maximus Decimus Meridius

  1. 208 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Real Gladiator

The True Story of Maximus Decimus Meridius

About this book

"Are you not entertained?" shouts Russell Crowe, playing the part of General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the Oscar winning 2000 film Gladiator. The crowd, having witnessed Maximus defeating several gladiators, cheer in response. Film goers too were indeed entertained with the film grossing nearly half a billion dollars. This book covers the historical events that film was based on. From the Germanic wars on the northern frontier to the gladiatorial arena in Rome. From the philosopher emperor, Marcus Aurelius to the palace intrigues during the reign of his son. We will discover how Commodus really died and which of the characters actually fought in the arena. Readers will meet two generals, Pompeianus and Maximianus, who most resemble our hero General Maximus. Also Lucilla, the sister of Commodus, who in reality married her General, but detested him. The book also focuses on warfare, weapons and contemporary battles. It will compare the battle and fight scenes in the film with reality from contemporary sources and modern tests and reenactments. The reader will discover that fact is not only stranger than fiction, it is often more entertaining. The real history was certainly as much, if not more, treacherous, bloodthirsty, murderous and dramatic than anything the film industry has created. Anyone who answered "yes!" to the question posed by Russell Crowe's character in the film, will indeed be entertained by this book.

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Yes, you can access The Real Gladiator by Tony Sullivan in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Military Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Book Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgements
  6. Introduction
  7. Chapter 1 From Republic to Empire
  8. Chapter 2 The initial battle andhistorical context
  9. Chapter 3 The Roman army
  10. Chapter 4 Marcus Aurelius
  11. Chapter 5 Gladiators and games
  12. Chapter 6 Commodus
  13. Chapter 7 After Commodus
  14. Sources and citations for maps and pictures not by author
  15. References
  16. Endnotes
  17. Index
  18. Tables
  19. Maps
  20. Figures
  21. Pictures