The Sea Kings of Rome: Champions of the Naumachia

What started out as a traditional fight to the death ended up being the most dramatic gladiatorial bout ever recorded blow for blow. No other fight in Roman history has been more sensational, more remarkable than the fight between Priscus and Verus. The bout's curious place in history stems from it's unique beginning and remarkable end. In 79 AD, two men heralded as demi-gods, stepped onto Roman Triremes as they prepared themselves for the Naumachia. They were both champions, having proved themselves through epic gladiatorial combat; but now, as they looked over the dozens of ships crowded in the man-made harbor, they would have a chance to join the ranks of legend. None of that fame mattered to Verus-a man who had been forced into this barbarity. As he stared long and hard at thousands of opponents across the lake, all begging for the combat to begin, only one of the many faces mattered to him-that was the man that caused the nightmares, the man that undid everything. That was the man they called Priscus the Gaul.