Many events of the movie "Gladiator" were both factual and fictional. At the beginning of the movie it was 180 AD and the emperor was Marcus Aurelius. It is true that Marcus Aurelius was emperor from 161AD-180AD in Rome, and he did have a movement against Germania. However, Marcus Aurelius was not assassinated, like the movie shows, he actually died of natural causes. Also, Marcus Aurelius' real son, Commodious, was indeed given the throne unlike the movie told, and there was no telling that Marcus Aurelius planned to hand over his throne to just anyone.
The Roman army showed in the movie was correct. The men of an army fought together to win or defeat their enemy. Most of the armies Rome faced were made of warrior's where each man fought for personal goals. These types of tactics gave the Romans a great advantage in battle. The idea of what the Roman armies could accomplish was seen in the opening fight seen of the movie.
Bust of Marcus Aurelius (reign 161–180 CE).
The 39.7 m tall. Height of shaft, base and above g...
Marcus Aurelius, emperor over the last generation ...There was one part of the film that I could find that was really far from the truth. That was in the area of relationships. Commodus was not the only child he also had a sister, she married Luscious, and they were both the children of Marcus Aurelius. Although killing each other was part of the Caesar history, the idea that Commodus killed his dad is untrue. Some historians say that Aurelius died of the black plague in Vienna on March 17, 180AD. It is also untrue that Marcus saw his son as insane and unable to hold the job of the throne. He had Commodus named boss when he was 5 years old, and named him as his heir when he was seventeen. As a Roman father he really loved and...