The Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum exhibition at the Queensland Museum is a rare opportunity for Australians to observe real artefacts and witness the lives of the Roman Gladiators living across Europe around 2000 years ago. As an international touring exhibition it features more than 110 original artefacts including actual cornices from the Colosseum in Rome. There are also authentic bronze gladiator helmets and original armour on view which were fortuitously preserved in the ashes of Pompeii. The exhibition is divided into four zones: The Roman Empire; Rome and the Colosseum; Who are the Gladiators? and A Day at the Arena.

The exhibition is worth a look in itself, but for the truly unique experience it should be done as part of an adult only evening After Dark or as A Night at the Museum with children. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to attend both events and more are scheduled until December.

The Night at the Museum was a unique and exciting opportunity for families to spend an evening in the museum with not only Gladiators but with planets, experiments, a giant squid and dinosaurs. What better way to educate and excite a child than to allow them to explore these different worlds at night, as if they were reliving the trilogy of movies from 2006 when the museum artefacts come to life when the museum closes.

To heighten the excitement factor kids dressed up as gladiators and had the opportunity to make their own Gladiatorial helmets and even spar like gladiators. There was the obligatory balloon construction and face painting, but in addition there were real gladiators wandering around and even sparring in an arena. The cafe was open for dinner and drinks (including much needed Friday night alcoholic drinks for the parents!) DJ Steph was spinning the tunes so kids could party like a gladiator and work off their sugary treats before a late bedtime.

The museum was busier than I’d ever seen it and parents and children alike seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the Gladiatorial immersive experience. All of the exhibitions were open from the hands on Perception Deception exhibit in the Science centre to the Otherworlds with photographs of planets and moons from our Solar System. The cafe had an inflatable arena for those anxious to duel with safe physical contact and if that didn’t appeal families could re-enact Gladiatorial duelling in the exhibit wearing helmet and weapon replicas and then pose for a family photograph. For the less violently inclined children there was even a professional animator Phil Judd from Comic express who ran short sketching sessions.

My nine year old son was thrilled with the whole experience and it truly was a unique evening for the whole family to enjoy. He was so taken with his new life as a Gladiator that I enrolled him in the Gladiator school for a one and a half hour session over the school holidays. At Gladiator Boot Camp kids were trained to become master of the sword and to fight like a gladiator by Ludus Magnus, the most prestigious gladiator in Ancient Rome. Children aged between 7 and 12 were renamed with cool Roman names and whipped into shape after being measured and assessed for fitness. This event will also be running in the Christmas school holidays so get booked in for a true immersive Roman experience.

In contrast the Gladiator After Dark adult evening was a much calmer opportunity for adults to roam a now quiet museum with a glass of wine and something to nibble on. It hd the air of an exclusive art exhibition opening and was an excellent way to peruse the Gladiator exhibit without screaming kids.

After the enjoyable, but noisy night at the museum the peaceful adult-only evening was thoroughly appreciated. Although myself and others may have been disappointed that with the adult-only label for the evening did not extend to topless duelling Gladiators flexing their rippling muscles in true Italian style!

Despite the lack of adult-style entertainment there were two excellent 30 minute talks rotating all evening in the theatre. The first, on Four points to Consider was presented by Dr Tom Stevenson from UQ, highlighting the inaccuracies in Hollywood’s portrayal of the lives of the Gladiators and including gory clips from famous movies such as Spartacus.

The second talk Consulting The Bones was presented by Dr Damien Fegan and Dr Link Morse and referred to the evidence hidden in the bones of Gladiators resolving the mystery of their assumed Carnivorous diets (they were vegetarian) and lifestyle. Both presentations were informative, enlightening and enjoyable. Enabling the audience to appreciate the nuances of the Gladiator exhibition a lot more in light of their training and disciplined lives.

The Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum exhibition is on until 28th January and is well worth a peek, but I heartily recommend it to be best seen as part of either A Night at the Museum, if you have or can borrow kids and After Dark for a more salubrious adult only evening.

 

By Gemma Regan 

 

Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum After Dark and A Night at the Museum

Queensland Museum, Brisbane

Friday 13th Oct, 3 Nov, 1 Dec: Friday 22nd Sept, 27th Oct

Exhibition until 28th January 2018