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19 janvier 2025

'Gladiators of Britain' at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery

© Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service: Colchester Collection

A British Museum Partnership Exhibition with Colchester + Ipswich Museums will delve into the lesser-known history of gladiatorial contests in Roman Britain. Launching at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in January 2025, the exhibition will tour four UK venues, tracing the footsteps of gladiators who once fought in Britain’s amphitheatres.

 

The exhibition showcases iconic objects like the Colchester Vase, depicting a real gladiatorial battle, and the Hawkedon Helmet, the only confirmed gladiatorial armour from Roman Britain. These artefacts, along with others, reveal the violent spectacles that entertained the public and underscore the significance of gladiators in Roman culture.

 

The exhibition will feature finds from Maumbury Rings in Dorchester, a unique site originally a Neolithic henge that was transformed into a Roman amphitheatre nearly 2,000 years ago. This adaptation reflects the cultural imprint of the Romans on Britain and offers a tangible connection to the era’s gladiatorial contests.

25 January to 11 May 2025

Ceramic cremation vessel decorated with a gladiator fight between a secutor a retiarius, 2nd century AD, Colchester. Photo © Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service – Colchester Collection

Reconstructed wall painting depicting combat between two gladiators, 1st century AD, Colchester. Photo: © Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service – Colchester Collection

Bone figurine depicting a gladiator of the murmillo class, 1st–2nd century AD, Colchester. Photo © 2024 The Trustees of the British Museum.

Glass ‘sports cup’ depicting fights between legendary gladiators, 1st century AD. Photo © Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service – Colchester Collection.

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