Blood & Sand

Season 1Episode 260 minNov 28, 2024
Blood & Sand

Dan Snow heads back nearly 2000 years to explore what it was like to go to a sold-out show at the Colosseum, first as a spectator and then as a gladiator! Finding out how to get a ticket, what you'd see, where you'd eat, even where you'd go to the loo. A day at the Colosseum was an assault on the senses - the roar of the beasts and crowd, the stench of blood, the spectacular and gruesome sights.

These amazing games needed incredible staging too, all intricately worked from deep underground. Dan travels to the surviving amphitheatre at Pozzuoli to explore how this hi-tech backstage worked - this packed area of ropes, pulleys and levers was the real inner workings of the show. An elaborate set of lifts and traps would launch fearsome animals onstage from nowhere or even a troop of battle-ready gladiators!

Dan digs deep into the truth about gladiators. We might instantly think of them as the traditional Hollywood hunk, but they would have come in all shapes and sizes and were the ultimate Roman sex symbol. Dan discovers from sex-historian Kate Lister that women even bought the sweat of fighters to use as the ultimate aphrodisiac perfume! There are plenty of myths that grew around these mysterious men, from graffiti that portrays them just like today's football stars to the likelihood of dying in the arena. But what would life really be like as a gladiator? What's the truth behind the stories and how many gladiators lost their lives on the Colosseum floor? Dan discovers the surprising reality.

Dan also explores the other events put on in the arena. There were specific spectacles for each set of games, from parades of exotic animals, beast hunts, music and criminal executions. There were even fights between women.

Blood & Sand has aired on Nov 28, 2024 at 9:00 PM
Previous Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
The Pitt
Running

The Pitt

The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today's America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each episode follows an hour of Dr. Robby's 15-hour shift as the chief attendant in Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital's emergency room.

Dark Matter
Running

Dark Matter

Hailed as one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, Dark Matter is a story about the road not taken. The series follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago – is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.

Murdoch Mysteries
Running

Murdoch Mysteries

Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama series that explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch, a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders. Murdoch's colleagues include the love of his life, coroner and psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden, a staunch ally who shares the detective's fascination for science; Constable George Crabtree, Murdoch's eager but sometimes naïve right-hand man; Inspector Brackenreid, Murdoch's skeptical yet reluctantly supportive boss; and coroner Dr. Emily Grace, Dr. Ogden's protégé.

Bob's Burgers
Running

Bob's Burgers

The series follows Bob who runs Bob's Burgers, with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob has big ideas about burgers, but the rest of the clan falls short on service. Despite the greasy counters and lousy location, the Belchers are determined to make every "Grand Re-Re-Re-opening" a success. Bob's wife, Linda, stands by her man and often does so by bursting into song. Their eldest daughter, 13-year-old Tina has a slight obsession with boys and zombies. Middle child Gene is an aspiring musician with a thirst for life. Louise is the bunny ears-wearing youngest daughter with an off-kilter sense of humor that makes her somewhat of a liability in the kitchen – and with the public.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Running

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.