This article containsGladiator II spoilers.
Filling the Colosseum with water looks silly, one friend said months ago after the first trailer forGladiator IIdropped.
Why are there battleships in the arena?
Even so, there is one element inGladiator IIthat does strain incredulity: the sharks.
Are you fucking joking?
And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea, are you kidding?
Of course they can.
Its an interesting argument, although one not necessarily rooted in history.
The first known naumachia is recorded to have occurred in 46 B.C.
Some engineers and historians dispute the assertions due to debate over how the Colosseum could be successfully flooded.
Their counterargument comes down mostly to the likes of Dio being mistaken.
No, They Didnt Have Sharks.
But There Were Crocodiles…
Despite Mr. Scotts blunt assertions, there is no evidence that a shark was ever used to fight gladiators.
And like most objects of fascination for Romans, they were celebrated by the crowd watching them die.
Beasts from the edges of the empire proved a popular source for hunting games orvenationes.
And in the case of Egypt, the exotic creatures most popularly brought to Rome were crocodiles and hippopotamuses.
(Notably, however, the Romans did assimilate the worship of the Cult of Isis from Egypt.)
Think a bit like what we saw with tigers in the firstGladiatorand the rhinoceros inGladiator II.
And then, perhaps, a British director shrugging, Why not sharks?
Gladiator II is in theaters now.
