WARNING! This post and episode both contain spoilers!

We are back to discuss Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s smash hit Gladiator (2000). Gladiator II is set in the joint reign of Caracalla and Geta. These emperors were brothers in real life, but not the creepy twins shown in the movie. However, let’s not get caught up in historical detail! After all, Lucilla should have been executed by Commodus in the first film if we were sticking to the facts.

Special Episode – Gladiator II with Professor Martin M. Winkler

In Gladiator II, we learn that Lucilla’s precious son, Lucius Verus, was hidden away in the provinces after Commodus’ death and became alienated from the imperial family. He clearly inherited the military skills of his real father (Maximus or Russell Crowe), as Lucius is something of a local hero in his new home.

But no one can resist the power of Rome forever. After a military defeat, Lucius ends up in the arena and spends the film wrestling with his past, his trauma and the corruption of Rome. Just like his dad!

Whilst Lucius Verus is the hero of this film, as is so often the case in movies about Ancient Rome, the villain steals the show. Macrinus (Denzel Washington) is a master manipulator, skilfully playing a dangerous political game. Will the ghost of Maximus past allow Lucius to finally set Rome on a virtuous path? Or is Rome doomed to be dominated by corrupt politicians?    

And boy, do we have a treat in store for you all! We were privileged to talk to a giant in the field of classical reception, a man who has spent many decades studying Roman history on film.

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The cover of Professor Winkler’s volume on Gladiator (2000).

Martin M. Winkler is Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Classics at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. His research interests include classical mythology, Roman history, classical literature, the classical tradition, and classical literature, history and myth on film. Professor Winkler’s list of publications is long indeed, but we will cite a few of our favourites. The Roman Salute: Cinema, History and Ideology (2009), Ovid on Screen: A Montage of Attractions (2020) and most recently, Classical Antiquity and the Cinematic Imagination (2024). Professor Winkler has edited and contributed to volumes on the films Troy (from 2004), Kubrick’s 1960 Spartacus, and importantly for today, Ridley Scott’s original 2000 Gladiator.

We hope that you enjoy our conversation with Professor Winkler in which we discuss:

• The characters of Maximus and Lucius Verus





• The aesthetic of Gladiator II





• The representation of the army and praetorian guard in the sequel





• The Roman Senate of Gladiator II





• Historical accuracy in Gladiator II

Sound Credits

Our music is by Bettina Joy de Guzman.

Automated Transcript

Dr Rad 0:00
Hello, listeners, prepare to be entertained. Sorry. I just can’t help myself when we’re going to be talking about Gladiator and that is indeed what this special episode is all about. We return with another one of our special installments on Gladiator II, the sequel to the 2000 smash hit where we get some of the old gang back together. There’s Lucilla, there’s Gracchus, there’s Lucius Verus, and we meet some new historical characters like Macrinus, as well as the Emperors Caracalla and Geta. Please make sure you check out our show notes for a plot summary if you haven’t seen the film yet. And Be warned, this episode does contain spoilers, and now I think it’s time that we get into the arena on with the episode!

Welcome to the Partial Historians.

Dr G 1:09
We explore all the details of ancient Rome,

Dr Rad 1:14
everything from political scandals, the love affairs, the battles wage and when citizens turn against each other. I’m Dr rad,

Dr G 1:23
and I’m Dr G. We consider Rome as the Romans saw it, by reading different authors from the ancient past and comparing their stories.

Dr Rad 1:34
Join us as we trace the journey of Rome from the founding of the city. You music.

Hello and welcome to a special episode of the partial historians. I am one of your hosts, Dr rad, and I’m Dr G, and we are here once again to discuss gladiator two, which is currently taking the world by storm. We are so fortunate to be joined by a true giant in the field of history on film, Martin M Winkler is distinguished university professor and professor of classics at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. His research interests include classical mythology, Roman history, classical literature, the classical tradition and classical literature, history and myth on film. Professor Winkler’s list of publications is long indeed, but we will cite a few of our favorites: The Roman Salute: Cinema, History and Ideology, which came out in 2009, Ovid on Screen:, A Montage of Attractions from 2020 and most recently, Classical Antiquity and the Cinematic Imagination in 2024. Professor Winkler has edited and contributed to volumes on the films Troy from 2004 Kubrick’s 1960s Spartacus, and importantly for today, Ridley Scott’s original Gladiator from the year 2000. We are extremely excited to have one of the world’s leading academics in classical reception here to talk about Gladiator II. Welcome, Professor Winkler.

Martin Winkler 3:15
Thank you very much, ladies. Dr Rad and Dr G, I should say for your kind invitation. I have never made it to Australia in person, so maybe in this virtual trip, I can at least partly, partially remedy the situation. I also might be allowed, I hope, a personal confession. The cinema and classical antiquity are two of my sort of what greatest lovers, and particularly in conjunction. So any chance I get to talk about them together, I jump at so I’m particularly grateful for you to give me the chance to talk about this new release, Gladiator II, which has not taken me quite by the storm that you mentioned just to remind a go, but that’s okay.

Dr Rad 4:05
That is okay. That should provide plenty of things for us to

Dr G 4:07
talk about. That is some good foreshadowing, I think. So obviously

Dr Rad 4:12
we want to draw on your expertise about the first film as well as the second film. So what we found particularly interesting about this new gladiator is that Ridley Scott has teamed up with some of the original cast and crew for this sequel, including production designer Arthur Max, costume designer Janty Yates, with perhaps a bit of help from somebody else for the military costumes, we think this time, as well as producer Douglas Wick, you’ve already noted in your work on the first film that Scott tries to present us with a Rome that is very lived in, but we also know that Scott and his team, the first time, were very inspired by the paintings from the Victorian era of Rome. What is your reaction to the aesthetic of this sequel?

Martin Winkler 4:54
Well, if by aesthetic you mean visual style, I think I am a bit underwhelmed,, if I may say so, by the secret, the first Gladiator, the enormous success that it was, surprisingly worldwide, the first big screen, silver screen, epic, huge epic, center set in antiquity, was obviously also and deservedly quite influential. The new Gladiator, I think gladiator too is a bit of a disappointment. The Connect and this also seen individual style, I think others, and I have pointed out to some of the Victorian background in Victorian also European painting, most famously, Gerome’s painting, Police Verso, the thumbs up, thumbs down, seen in the Coliseum with a gladiator, over raising a sword, over falling gladiator and so on that. I think was perhaps the direct inspiration for Scott to take on this project, as you said at the time when he was thrown this in between. So yeah, I’m not quoting verbatim. He said something like, Yes, I can make that kind of movie. I noticed some of these pictorial backgrounds or influences in Gladiator II, also less so perhaps Gerome, than the British Dutch painter. One of my favorites, actually Lawrence Alma Tadema that influence, I think, could be seen in certain scenes here and there. On the other hand, the Greeks and Romans indemus paintings usually are appear in very sunny, beautiful, pleasant, relaxing, vacation type, almost surroundings, and there’s very little of that in Gladiator II. That’s also true for gladiator one, the first gladiator which presented a sort of dark, bloody kind of image of Rome. I’ll say a quick word about the Coliseum in just a moment. But before I do so, let me add that the lived in quality that I think actually was very strongly there and to be seen in the first gladiator brought the computer generated images, the animation to life. I meant that, particularly at that time, I do not I mea