Romans
Who was Caracalla, the Roman emperor of Gladiator 2′ who built the colossal baths in Rome?
His role in Ridley Scott’s movie is played by Fred Hechinger.
There are only a few days left until the premiere of ‘Gladiator 2′, one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie is the sequel to ‘Gladiator’, also directed by the English director. In this film, Maximus’ son, Lucius (Paul Mescal), will try to avenge what was done to his father and free Rome from the tyrants who rule it. Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen are also in the cast. In addition, Fred Hechinger plays Emperor Caracalla, one of the most important names in ancient Rome, who created the colossal baths in today’s Italian capital.
Who was Caracalla?
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, nicknamed Caracalla, was a Roman emperor whose reign lasted from 198 to 217. He belonged to the Severan dynasty and was the eldest son of Emperor Septimius Severus. He died in the year he was no longer at the head of power, when he was assassinated by Julius Martial, a member of the Roman Praetorian Guard, during a trip in which the emperor was to visit a temple in Carras, in modern Turkey. The assassination was in revenge for Caracalla’s refusal to promote him to the rank of centurion. Julius Martial was subsequently executed and the new emperor would be Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington in ‘Gladiator 2′.
Caracalla is still remembered as one of the worst Roman emperors in history. His reign was marked by internal instability and the invasion of Germanic tribes. From 209 to 211, he ruled alongside his brother Geta (Joseph Quinn in ‘Gladiator 2′), who was killed by the Praetorian Guard. His popularity waned, in part, because he was said to have had his brother executed. However, Caracalla is also remembered for the impressive construction of the baths in the city of Rome.
The Roman Baths
Caracalla was not the creator of the Roman baths as we know them today, but he was the one who perfected them and ordered the construction of the ones in Rome. Agrippina, Nero, Domitian, and Trajan were in the forefront of the creation of baths, but they were far surpassed by those of Caracalla, which were inaugurated in 216. The Baths of Caracalla were in use until the Gothic Wars, and the ruins in the Italian capital today give an idea of how immense they were. According to some sources, they could accommodate up to 1,600 users.
This Roman emperor will be played by Fred Hechinger in ‘Gladiator 2′. The actor made his big screen debut in the independent film ‘Eighth Grade’ and was part of the cast of ‘The Woman in the Window’ and ‘Vox Lux’, the film by Brady Corbet (who will release ‘The Brutalist’ early next year). His next projects are ‘Gladiator 2′ and ‘Kraven The Hunter’.
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