A NEW exhibition celebrating Colchester’s Roman history will launch later this month.
Gladiators: A Day at the Roman Games will be available to the public at Colchester Castle from July 15.
The exhibition includes artefacts from Colchester Museums’ collections as well as loans from other museums.
However, the star object is the Colchester Vase from Colchester Museums' collection which made international headlines earlier this year.
Visitors will be able to enjoy events such as the Morning Beast Hunts, Midday Executions, and Afternoon Gladiatorial Combat.
Colchester councillor Michelle Burrows, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and heritage said: “Talking about real life gladiatorial combat and entertainment happening right here in Colchester over 2,000 years ago, it's both a visual and intellectual feast and one that I recommend to residents and visitors alike.
"Colchester has a rich heritage, and the exhibition takes the opportunity to delve deeper into the spectacle of the games, the role of slavery and how events like these were linked to religious beliefs in Roman society.”
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The exhibition draws together Roman gladiator artefacts from all over the UK as well as a Murmillo Gladiator Helmet discovered in Pompeii.
It is one of more than 20 objects on loan from the British Museum and is extremely significant for Colchester Museums.
It is the first time the helmet has been loaned to a regional museum.
This exhibition has been curated so it is suitable for the whole family and it will convey all content with sensitivity.
Thorsten Opper, curator of Roman collections at the British Museum said: “This undoubtedly is one of the treasures of the Roman collection and almost never leaves the British Museum.
"It will give visitors to Colchester's gladiator show a unique opportunity to see the helmet of a heavy Roman Murmillo gladiator close-up.”
The loaned items in the exhibition are supported by the Weston Loan Programme and Art Fund.
Created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, the Weston Loan Programme is the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.
Sophia Weston, deputy chair of the Garfield Weston Foundation, added: “The Weston Loan Programme exists to help regional museums tell compelling stories through exciting loans that have relevance to local heritage, so we are delighted to support the display of these incredible objects in Colchester.”
Entry will be included with admission to Colchester Castle and will be open from the 15 July-14 January 2024.
To find out more visit colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/gladiators
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