Author: Liam

The Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum

This is my version of the Roman Colosseum. It was constructed over 1900 years ago, and much of it still remains standing today. Due to its enormity, it stands as one of the 7 wonders of the world and the largest amphitheater in the world to this day. The colosseum housed gladiatorial/hunting games for over 390 years, and in that time, saw the death of around 1 million animals, and hundreds of thousands of people. The sand that covered the floor of the colosseum was tinted red due to the severe amounts of blood shed during the gladiatorial games. What was once a site of death and violence, now is one of the greatest tourist attractions around the world giving us an important look into roman daily life and history.

Spartacus the Murmillo

Spartacus the Murmillo

For this actum I have chosen to draw a depiction of the roman gladiator, Spartacus. Spartacus is famous for leading the third servile revolt in 73 B.C. against the Roman Republic. It was ultimately unsuccessful and he was killed in 71 B.C. Spartacus was a heavy weight gladiator called a Murmillo. The drawing remains consistent with the historical descriptions of this type of gladiator. Murmillos carried a gladius, which was a sword of about 18 inches, used to both slice and cut its opponents. The arm holding the gladius was protected with a Manica, which was a protective sleeve made of leather or metal.  On the other hand, they carried a Scutum, which was a long rectangular shield similar to the type used in the roman army. Murmillos would wear a Cassis Crista on their heads, which was a helmet with a broad rim and a protective face grill. On their shins, Murmillos would wear an Ocrea, which was a shin guard usually made of some type of metal. Lastly, these gladiators would wear a Balteus, which was a leather belt, similar to a weight lifting or boxing belt. Due to all of the heavy equipment, the success of these gladiators largely relied on their strength, which is why Spartacus is depicted here with large and defined muscles. 

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