GLAD TO BE A GLADIATOR

As onlookers cheer another pair of combatants battles with spear and trident, brass helmets glinting as they dodge each other’s vicious blows.

Finally the victorious, bare-chested gladiator lifts off his helmet in triumph.

“I think we all need a cup of tea,” he says. “It’s freezing out here.”

And that’s not surprising because we are in chilly Shropshire, a long way from the heart of the Roman empire.

These tea-swilling gladiators are members of Britannia, an Essexbased re-enactment group which stages dramatic, authentic reconstructions of gladiatorial battles at festivals and amphitheatres throughout Britain and Europe.

“We don’t like the term ‘re-enactment’ much,” says Susannah Shadrake, whose husband Daniel founded the group 20 years ago.

“It makes us sound a bit geeky and we’re not like that at all.”

In fact the 160 Britannia members are living every schoolboy’s dream.

They dress in astonishingly accurate Roman costume, stride into the amphitheatre and relive great gladiatorial
battles as spectators roar encouragement.

The group came about through graphic designer Daniel’s interest in history, “We were a fifth-century reenactment
group,” he says,“ but after the film Gladiator came out we were asked to perform a gladiator show and 6,000 people
turned up. It was so popular and so much fun we now focus on shows based on the fi rst century AD.”

This is not a casual hobby. Most summer weekends see Britannia appearing all over the country, often staging two exhausting spectacles a day for which the team trains six days a week in the gym.

“Those brass helmets areagony when it’s hot. It feels as though your head is cooking,” admits Steve Knott, a musical instrument-maker and actor who appeared in the recent film Centurion and plays Britannia’s Retiarius, a net and trident fighter.

“Britannia has taken over our lives – and our house, our garage and marriage,” adds Susannah, who combines
her research and writing on ancient Rome with working for the council.

Luckily the key members are all close friends and there are now several couples in the core team, including Mandy – a stunning Amazonian tennis coach who in full kit resembles a blonde Xena, Warrior Princess – and her husband Ian.

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Ancient in the true sense of the word the origins and the rich culture of Athens can be traced back to the era when mythical gods and goddesses ruled the world. Today its fascinating history is portrayed by an array of imposing ancient structures each with its own distinctness. With a culture reflecting this rich history, a visit to Athens is definitely a unique experience, especially for the history buff.

Those arriving in Athens for the first time generally head immediately for the Acropolis. Parched on a steep rock above the sprawling city this symbol of ancient Athens dominates the city’s skyline.

Foundations laid in 490BC its main construction had taken place in the Golden Age of Pericles during the period 461-429BC. The site of Acropolis includes the Acropolis Museum and four other sacred building all built in the 5th century BC. The monumental entrance, the Propylaea, adorns the site with its Ionic and Doric styles and the beautifully restored Temple of Athena Nike is on the left of Propylaea. The largest building on the Acropolis, the biggest surviving monument of Doric architecture, entirely made of Pentelic marble, is the awe-inspiring Pathenon – the backdrop to the magnificent view of Athens from this exotic site.

The remains of ancient Athenian commercial and civic centre, Agora, lies clustered below the Acropolis. The area, where once the great philosophers Socrates and Plato trod, is littered with ruins of numerous ancient buildings such as the Dionysos Theatre, the world’s oldest theatre where great plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were first performed. The restored building of the 200 BC Stoa of Attalos now contains artifacts portraying 5,000 years of Athenian history.

Southeast of Athens, about an hour’s ride, is Sounion with its famous cape where the foundations of a small Temple of Athena Souniaea and the ruins of the temple of Poseidon are located. Although the famous statue of Poseidon no longer reigns over the ocean below, the Temple of Poseidon, with its magnificent view of the Aegean, still fulfills the role from its high promontory.

The city of Athens itself holds a heap of treasures, lively night life, interesting shops, little churches and restaurants serving culinary delights. With a fairly good public transport system and being pedestrian friendly it’s easy for tourists to explore the city. A popular gathering place for all visitors to the city is the old town section of Athens, better known as Plaka. A stroll through the little streets, with its ancient monuments, Byzantine churches and mosques, is an experience in itself. The traditional ‘rembetika’ music at night complements the atmosphere.

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