The turn of the millennium brought with it the film that has probably had most weight in shaping the image we have formed of the gladiators. Russell Crowe is the gladiator, but what were their lives really like, and what is the story behind the gladiator phenomenon? The exhibition Hispanic! Gladiators in the Roman Empire, recently inaugurated, comes to answer -with archaeological rigor- this and other questions.
The Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid (MARPA), located in the Plaza de las Bernardas in Alcalá de Henares, hosts this free exhibition for which a total of 170 pieces have been collected. Some of them, such as helmets, daggers or greaves -the pieces of armor that covered from the knee to the foot- are original weapons and defenses of Pompeii used by fighters in public spectacles.
In the assembly the public can also find the reproduction of a small amphitheater and pieces from museum collections in Madrid, Merida, Seville, Cordoba, Albacete, Mallorca, Naples and Rome.
Throughout the tour, aspects such as the origins of gladiatorial games, their relationship with power, the social role of gladiators, the reasons for their disappearance or how they have remained in the collective imagination through film and literature are touched upon.
Schedule and guided tours of the gladiator expo.
The exhibition opened yesterday and can be visited until September 28, 2025. Admission is free during the museum’s regular opening hours:
- Tuesdays to Saturdays: 11am to 7pm.
- Sundays and holidays: from 11h to 15h.
In addition to visiting for free, you can also book free guided tours on weekends and holidays by calling 91 879 66 66. The schedules of the tours are as follows:
- Saturdays: at 12 noon, 1:15 pm, 4:15 pm and 5:15 pm.
- Sundays and holidays at 12h and 13:15h.
Archaeological Sites in the Community of Madrid
In Alcalá de Henares itself we can find an archaeological site of great value: Complutum, a Roman city that can be visited.
It is not the only place in the Community of Madrid where you can find archaeological remains: there are even thematic routes to discover these vestiges of the past that will take you to points like Colmenar Viejo, Hoyo de Manzanares, Talamanca del Jarama or Cadalso de los Vidrios. You can consult them in this article.