Gladiator’s Opening Battle Has A Glaring Historical Inaccuracy That’s Impossible To Unsee

Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning historical epic Gladiator has received plenty of criticism for its lack of historical accuracy, but one key feature of its famous opening battle sequence stands out among the others. The opening sequence introduces the audience to Russell Crowe’s Maximus, highlighting his skills as a battle commander and the love and respect that he and his soldiers share. The battle featured is one of the final clashes of the Roman Empire’s Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic people along the northwestern border of the Roman Empire, which spanned from 166 to 180 AD.