One of the most memorable scenes in the film Gladiator is undoubtedly the moment when the reviled Emperor Commodus decides the fate of the heroic general-turned-gladiator Maximus in the Colosseum. Spurred on by the crowd, he gives a “thumbs up” gesture, indicating that he will permit Maximus to live – at least for now.
That scene fits with our modern interpretation of the gesture, but is it historically accurate? Probably not, according to many experts, though the precise meanings of hand gestures in Ancient Rome are, unsurprisingly, a matter of debate among historians.
The phrase pollice verso, which means “with a turned thumb,” describes the reaction of the crowd to a gladiator, specifically the gesture they would give to voice their opinion about his fate. However, it’s unclear what exactly the gesture was, and what it signified.
Based on extensive research on ancient sources like Pliny, Quintilian, Juvenal, and Prudentius, University of Virginia Classical Studies professor Anthony Corbeill believes that it was actually the thumbs-up gesture that was associated with killing a defeated gladiator. This gesture was known as infestus pollex, which means “hostile thumb." On the other hand, a closed fist with the thumb pressed against the index finger (or possibly a thumbs-down) meant that the crowd wished for the fallen fighter to be spared.
However, Gladiator and many other historical films undoubtedly gleaned inspiration from the 1872 oil painting Pollice Verso (often translated as Thumbs Down) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, in which Colosseum spectators give a thumbs-down gesture to indicate to the victorious gladiator that his vanquished opponent should be killed.
Life or death?
- Even in the 1870s, the accuracy of Gérôme’s interpretation was questioned, most notably in a pamphlet entitled "Pollice Verso: To the Lovers of Truth in Classic Art, This is Most Respectfully Addressed” that examined conflicting evidence for the thumb gesture’s meaning.
- Interestingly, Pollice Verso prominently depicts the Vestal virgins (a prestigious group of priestesses of the goddess Vesta) animatedly showing their desire for the defeated gladiator to be killed, while the emperor looks on rather passively.
- According to Gladiator director Ridley Scott, Gérôme’s painting was responsible for sparking his interest in the subject matter before making the film. "That image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness. I knew right then and there I was hooked,” Scott later recalled.
