Those About To Die
Summary
Those About to Diefocuses on the charioteers and prizefighter of ancient Rome during theFlavian dynasty during the sovereignty of Emperor Vespasian(Anthony Hopkins ) . free-base on Daniel P. Mannix ’s hugely popular book of the same name , the epic sword - and - sandal television series is helmed by director Roland Emmerich ( Independence Day ) , Hollywood ’s so - forebode " master of disaster , " and BAFTA - success and screenwriter Marco Kreuzpaintner ( Bodies ) . The 10 - episode serial utilise Rome ’s Colosseum — aka the Flavian ampitheater — as its backdrop , allow it to delve into the people who make the city ’s subsidized ( and very bloody ) entertainmentrun .
Aside from exploringThose About to Die ’s mold of character , the show depict the corrupt but hugely successful notion of Rome ’s loot and circus — a mean of keeping the public in check with the go of complimentary food and red spectator sport . To contribute to the series ' authenticity , Those About to Diewas take at Rome ’s iconic Cinecittà Studios , but the show prized magnanimous - scale curing and CGI force to create its truly larger-than-life fighting sequence . DespiteThose About to pass away ’s mixed reviews , it ’s a fun watch , peculiarly asit spotlight themanydifferent type of Roman prizefighter .
Charioteers
2-Horse & 4-Horse Chariot Races Were Also Part Of Rome’s Bread & Circus
A charioteer is someone who drives a horse — or squad of horse — from a drawn chariot . In Roman ancientness , chariot racing was an fantastically popular form of subsidised public entertainment , so its inclusion inThose About to Dieis not only thrilling , but precise . Although charioteers could bring home the bacon expectant aggregate of money , they were often lower - class Romans , while the horses were owned by members of the gentry . count on the race , charioteers participate solo or as part of a squad of drivers(viaVillanova University ) . Additionally , there were different type of charioteers , generally define by how many horses they drove .
Anthony Hopkins for sure drew me in , and even if the show was extremely messy and could n’t keep my full attention , I still had fun observance .
Bestiarius
Gladiators Who Fought Animals
As the name implies , the bestiarius was a beast - fighting prizefighter . In ancient Rome , last by animate being was n’t an uncommon fortune for enemies of the country , but , eventually , specialised gladiator voluntarily defend animal for sport . Like thenaval combat showcased inThose About to Die , the inclusion of lion , tigers , bear , and other deadly brute was a common part of the bread and circus entertainment . Depending on the eccentric of savage , these prizefighter would use unlike weaponry , making them masters of arms ( viaTheColosseum.org ) .
Gladiatrix
Rare Women Gladiators
Although their universe is poorly documented , gladiatrix mention to a woman gladiator of any specialty . These rare scrapper were finally blackball by Emperor Septimius Severus , but , before then , these gladiatrices fight each other to think of Romanist audience . Not much is known about these women warriors , butit ’s likely that they used the same equipment and training method acting as their male vis-a-vis .
Samnites & Hoplomachus
Armed Fighters
fit with trouser - similar leggings , greaves , an arm - guard , and an iconic feathered helmet , hoplomachi carried fishgig , which they would throw at their opponent before mesh in hand - to - hand fight . This type of gladiator substitute the Samnitesafter that moniker was deemed improper . In addition to their throwing spears , hoplomachi were often armed with short swords and small , round cuticle .
The Flavian dynasty ruled Rome for over thirty comparatively successful old age , in aggregate , but their family ’s impact was much larger than the family tree diagram .
Laquearius
Gladiators Who Used Lassos
rather of relying on sword , shields , or gig , the laquearius put his trust in a riata . This type of gladiator would seek to catch his adversaries with a closed circuit of roach , restraining objective like a puncher roping Bos taurus . After trap their opponents , the laquearius would strike with small brand . Some accounts indicate that these lasso - wielding gladiators were a form of comic ministration for papistic hearing .
Retiarius
“Net Fighters” Who Used Fishing Equipment
bed as " final fighters,“the retiarius was outfitted with a trident and net — the tool of a fisherman . Although these final champion were give loincloths , knock , and arm guards , they were not afford the protection of helmets , though sometimes they used other face trade protection . Some accounts suggest that the retiarius would brook on a political program of rocks , attacking their opponents , who were attempting to descale the social organization ( viaWorld History Encyclopedia ) . With pronged , slim daggers and tridents , these gladiators were a unique foe .
As Those About to Die depicts , ancient Rome was often in turmoil , with few periods as chaotic as the Year of Four Emperors after Nero ’s sovereignty .
Rudiarius
A Freed Gladiator Wielding A Wooden Sword
When a prizefighter make headway his exemption , he was grant a wooden sword or stick , and given the option to continue on as a warrior . While those wooden brand - handle gladiator who did smithy onwards became very popular with crowds — usually , they amass a fate of experience and time in the ring — others opted to become reviewer or trainer after secure their freedom .
Sagittarius
A Gladiator With The Skillset Of An Archer
Those intimate with astrology may recognize the term genus Sagittarius as " the archer " — and that ’s exactly what this eccentric of prizefighter was in ancient Rome . or else of relying on blade , spears , or clenched fist , these warriors were equipped with prospicient - range weaponry .
Secutor
The Rival Of The Retiarius
Known as the " pursuer,“the secutor was the rival of the retiarius . recrudesce with net fighters in idea , the secutor used a tall rectangular shield and a sword . Their specially designed helmet only posed the smallest of eye - gob , thus limiting the amount of price a last fighter could do with his trident .
Those About To kick the bucket introduces the political intrigue and machinations of Ancient Rome , and the series ' ending establish how anyone can move up and fall .
Other Common Types Of Gladiators
Some Gladiator Histories Are More Detailed Than Others
Cestus : Gladiators who were akin to boxers , a cestus used their fists to oppose resister . apart from their titular cestus — a cross between a boxing baseball glove and a knuckleduster — these warrior wore no armour in the pack .
Dimachaerus : As the Greek name of this prizefighter type implies , these warriors wielded a blade in each hand , as opposed to the standard sword - and - buckler jazz group .
Eques : This group was often made up of upper - middle - stratum or patrician warriors who were n’t allowed to fight in the games right . Still , equites reportedly fought one another , normally witha brand or spear , decorative helmet , and shields .
Gallus : These heavyweight and heavily panoplied fighters were often Gaulish captive of state of war — or those task with scrap in the Gaulish style — who were made to do scrap in the games .
Murmillo : One of the more stylish sub - set of gladiators , this grouping don a helmet with a fish on the crest , arm guard , gaiters , and , notably , thickset wrappings on their feet . Like Roman legionaires , they were often equipped with big oblong shield ( viaThe Met ) .
Parmularius : Any prizefighter who was equip with a smaller - sized buckler was considered a parmularius .
Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury
Scissor : prizefighter who used a special dual - bladed forgetful sword that attend like a pair of scissor hold without a hinge .
Scutarius : These gladiators relied on large shield , which meant that they were less well - armored than their fellow small shield - wielding warriors .
Thraex : inaugurate as replacing for Gallus , these gladiators specialized in wield swords with curved blades , but otherwise wore equipment similar to that of the hoplomachi .
Image via Peacock
To Those About to Dieseason 1 is streaming on Peacock .
Set in the year 79 advertizement in Rome , " Those About to Die " dives into the brutal and complex humanity of gladiatorial combat . The series explores the grim underbelly of Roman entertainment , where the hope of free food and blood - soak spectacle keep the restless population in check . The narrative focuses on various lineament from all corners of the Roman Empire , whose lives intersect in the grand arena .
author : Villanova University , TheColosseum.org , World History Encyclopedia , The Met
Image via Peacock
Image via Peacock
