Movies - TV
Gladiator 2's Most Ridiculous Moment Actually Happened In Real Life
By RYAN SCOTT
Ridley Scott clearly isn't going for overall historical accuracy in “Gladiator 2,” but the wildest moment comes early when the arena is flooded to simulate a navy battle.
Despite seeming like a fantastical work of fiction, the filmmaker did his research. The wild scene is based on facts, and this is indeed something that the Romans witnessed.
These staged naval battles were known as naumachia. They used real ships and gladiators in and amongst many other spectacular Roman blood sports.
The official website for The Colosseum in Rome says these types of staged battles were usually held in arenas specially constructed for this purpose ,or in large channels.