If you don't have the opportunity to travel to Italy on vacation this year, you can experience a little of the atmosphere of ancient Rome in our Museum. The “Romans and Germans” action day on June 23rd invites you to take a playful journey through this time, which could also be very serious. The Roman mass entertainment of the gladiatorial games may certainly have been an event for the Roman people, but did that also apply to the fighters?

The group LUDUS NEMESIS from the Netherlands not only shows fights, but also the social function of the bloody spectacle. Who knows that many gladiators were quite chubby? This came about through Austrian excavations in the gladiator cemetery at Ephesus. Because fat protects against cuts. 

Their diet was relatively low in meat: the gladiator's nickname back then was grain cruncher or barley eater. In the show, viewers experience history in action and immerse themselves in the time of these Roman professional fighters - and professional fighters too! A lot of interesting facts and some previously unimagined things are shown. The use of female gladiators makes it clear that the games were not just for men.

Many Germanic tribes fought in Roman arenas. For this reason - and also as a small prelude to the Germanic settlement that is currently being built on the site - Germanic actors from all over Germany are coming to Oerlinghausen on that day. 

For contrast, they show life on the other side of the Rhine. There are great hands-on activities for the little ones. On the one hand, you can bake Roman bread with the help of museum educators (including a recipe to take with you and bake at home). And on the other hand, the wide range of Roman games can be tried out.