Rome Flooded the Arena
The Romans did not just watch fighters in sand. They staged mock naval wars with real ships, real water, and sometimes thousands of prisoners.Naumachia: Ancient Rome's Mock Naval Battles
Caesar Started the Madness
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar had a basin dug near the Tiber River and filled it with biremes, triremes, and quinqueremes He made 2,000 combatants and 4,000 rowers, all prisoners of war, fight as entertainment.Naumachia: Ancient Rome's Mock Naval Battles
