A NEW gladiator exhibition has opened at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
Visitors can now discover more about eighty burials which were unearthed in York in 2004 from a Roman-age cemetery.
Although archaeological opinion differs on whether the men were soldiers, criminals, slaves or gladiators.
The exhibition presents the evidence, which includes scientific analysis, cut marks, animal bites and blunt force trauma to the bone highlighted through six of these skeletons.
Cirencester Johnny English actor Ben Miller recently opened up the exhibition which has been named Gladiators, A Cemetery of Secrets and is due to run until April 2023.
He said: “I couldn’t be prouder of this museum.
“As small and perfectly formed as the town it serves, a place where you can immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the Cotswolds, a local museum that is truly a national treasure.
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“As if the fascinating Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, and Roman exhibits weren’t enough, now with added Gladiators.”
Along with Ben Miller, gladiator reenactors from The Ermine Street Guard, and Legio Secunda Augusta also helped launch this unique exhibition in a preview evening on Friday (October 21).
Attendees also included representatives from Friends of Corinium Museum and Everyone Active, The Winstone Trust committee members, President of Corinium Museum Earl Bathurst and Cllr Jenny Forde from Cotswold District Council.
Dr. Ives on behalf of the Winstone Trust said: "The trust is delighted to have helped with funding this special exhibition.
“The people of Cirencester are blessed with having a small but world-class museum in its midst.
“This new exhibition is an excellent example of the continuing work done by the Museum to make our history visible and accessible to the people of Cirencester and our visitors.
Dr. Katharine Walker, Museum Director, said: "In keeping with this theme of gladiators is a rich programme of events and activities running over the next 6 months.
“We have gladiator reenactment days led by our friends, Legio Secunda Augusta, during the October half term and more throughout the exhibition, and look out for gladiator school.
“We are also proud to work with an award-winning contemporary artist Olivier Jamin to produce British Sign Language videos to accompany the exhibition.
“Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives have also helped us to provide 100 free family tickets to the Museum to five local charities, including the foodbank.
Cllr Jenny Forde said: "This is such an excellent opportunity to give a boost to our economy here in Cirencester.
“The Museum is a fantastic, warm, and beautiful space to visit during the winter months, and the opportunity to see Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets – is here."
Earl Bathurst said: "As President, we are delighted to support this event, and we encourage all to visit this exhibition, particularly, children and grandchildren, who will find this time in history to be fascinating, albeit a bit gruesome!"
To pre-book your tickets and for more information visit - coriniummuseum.org
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