Warning: Contains potential SPOILERS for Gladiator 2While 2024 had no shortage of smash hit films, one of the biggest and most impressive wasGladiator 2, a legacy sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 historical epic,Gladiator. The film recieved great reviews, with reviewers focusing mostly onGladiator 2’s excellent characters, but one point of contention with the film was its handling of historical events, and how accurate the film is.Gladiator 2’s storybegins in Numidia, which is quite an important part of the history of the Roman Republic, as well as the Empire.
InGladiator 2, Paul Mescal’s Luciusis hiding out from the Empire in Numidia, taking the name Hanno and having married a woman named Arishat. Numidia is attacked by the Romans soon after the film begins, which eventually leads to Lucius' capture and a total Roman victory. The majority of the film takes place in Rome proper, not Numida, butthe plot points that are set up in Numida remain relevant throughout the film, even up toGladiator 2’s ending.
Numidia Was Divided After The War With Rome
The Kingdom Was Split Between Many Parties Over The Years
The Jugurthine War, named after the Numidian king Jugurtha, started in large part due to the multiple potential heirs to the throne, as Jugurtha was meant to split the Kingdom between him and his two brothers, but they instead warred with one another for control. After one had been killed, Jugurtha’s other brother appealed to the Roman senate, who decided to split the kingdom between them, thoughJugurtha eventually decided to go back to war with his brother anyway, against the wishes of Rome, leading to Rome’s full war against Numidia.
The Jugurthine War lasted from approximately 112 to 106 BCE.
WhileGladiator 2’s historical accuracyis still hotly debated, the broad strokes of the film’s history can generally be assumed to be similar to real life, including the relationship between Numidia and Rome. The war was a complicated mess of alliances, betrayals, and bribery, but it eventually ended with a Roman victory.The kingdom was split into an eastern and western half, with the western part of the kingdom handed off to the king of the neighboring Mauretania, while the rest of Numidia was divided again into another separate eastern and western kingdom.
Numidia’s Provinces & Rulers Explained
The new eastern and western Numidian kingdoms didn’t last long, as soon after, the majority of the western kingdom was again handed off to the King of Mauretania, Bocchus II, while Rome claimed the eastern area as a new Roman province called Africa Nova. There was a small section of Numidia, centered around Cirta, the capital city, that remained independent for a while longer, under the rule of a man named Arabio, who styled himself as an ally of Rome, before getting involved in the Roman civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey.
Whether this aspect of Roman history is the same is still somewhat unknown, despite some assumptions that can be made.
Eastern Numidia, now under the control of Rome, became known as Africa Nova, and was quickly assimilated into a functional piece of the Empire. Arabio was killed during the civil war, and after his death, his kingdom was officially taken by the Romans and absorbed into Africa Nova, before Africa Nova was united with another province, Africa Vetus, to form Africa Proconsularis, which remained for many years.Gladiator 2already showcases many real peopleand events, but whether this aspect of Roman history is the same is still somewhat unknown, despite some assumptions that can be made.
How Gladiator 2 Changes Numidia’s Real History
The Film Is Potentially Accurate, But There Are Some Inconsistencies
Gladiator 2 doesn’t depict the Jugurthine War itself, as that event happened long before the time of Geta and Caracalla, when Rome was still a Republic.Gladiator 2presents an unnamed city that Lucius describes as “the last free city in Africa Nova,” implying that it is some sort of last hope for Numidia.Gladiator 2’s timelineisn’t perfect, butthe film takes place in 200 A.D., more than 200 years after Numidia would have been fully conqueredand brought within the folds of the Roman Empire, so a rogue city remaining independent for so long seems like an unlikely circumstance.
Gladiator II Review: Ridley Scott’s Epic Sequel Has An Absolutely Wild Denzel Washington Performance
Gladiator II is one of 2024’s best blockbusters, but at times, it falters under the pressure of the standards set by its predecessor.
Gladiator 2doesn’t dwell on the state of Numidia too much, outside the opening few scenes of the battle and its aftermath. Interestingly,Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acaciustells Geta and Caracalla that he “[had] taken Numidia in your names,” which implies that Numidia was not under full Imperial control prior to the battle, which could mean that inGladiator 2,the war with Numidia didn’t happen until much later, under the rule of Geta and Caracalla, and that the intro to the film is the end of the war.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
