Diksha Sundriyal
One of the most despicable characters from the ‘Spartacus’ series receives a do-over in Starz’s ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur.’ When we last saw him, he had his head severed from his body on the top of Mount Vesuvius. However, he gets a chance to live a different reality, one where things didn’t end so brutally for him. In this alternate version of events, he not only survived the battle against Spartacus’ forces, but is now the owner of the very ludus where he was once trained as a gladiator. The House of Batiatus has fallen, and is now the House of Ashur. However, to establish itself, the ludus needs a strong leader, which arrives in the form of Corris, as well as a new gladiator who will rewrite history, which comes in the form of Achillia. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Achillia Represents the Real Female Gladiators
When one thinks of gladiators, a very masculine image comes to mind. However, this doesn’t change the fact that there were female gladiators as well. Known as gladiatrices, these women were considered of low social status. They were either slaves or former slaves who turned towards the theatre of fighting. Being a male-dominated field, they didn’t exactly receive the recognition they deserved, which is why there are only a handful of references about them. One of the significant pieces of evidence for female gladiators is a marble relief excavated from what was formerly known as Halicarnassus, now located in the Bodrum region of Turkey. It shows two female gladiators, armed with swords and shields and ready to attack. They are seen standing on a platform, with the head of a spectator visible below, to indicate that they were not fighting in battle but in the arena. They appear almost similar to the way the male gladiators did during that time, apart from the fact that they don’t have helmets.
Interestingly, the gladiatrices are named Amazon and Achillia, which is most likely a reference to the characters in the Greek mythology. However, the Achillia that we see in ‘House of Ashur’ is not connected to the one portrayed in the relief. There is a possibility that the real gladiator’s name was borrowed to christen the character in the show, who remains entirely fictional. The creators of the show revealed that they have used real historical events and characters to build the skeleton of the story, but major characters like Ashur and Achillia remain entirely fictional. Steven DeKnight, the show’s creator, noted that the show takes decades-long jumps compared to the real world in presenting the first female gladiator in ‘Spartacus.’ Tenika Davis, who plays Achillia, talked about the character’s origins as a Kushite woman who is brought to Rome and sold into slavery.
To prepare for the character, she searched for historical references, but found very little. This made her realise how important the role of Achillia was in representing not only female gladiators, but also women of colour in this context. Because being a gladiator means fighting a lot, Davis joined the rest of the cast in the gladiator boot camp, where she trained for about four hours every day. While she has a background in martial arts, she found the weapons training a challenge, as it introduced something entirely new to the table. However, the physical challenges were nowhere near the emotional challenge required to play the role. The actress revealed that presenting her character’s vulnerability was one of the more trying aspects of the job. At the end of the day, she wants Achillia to appear as a symbol of resilience and survival, something that she believes every person, irrespective of their gender or race, will relate to.
Korris is a Fictional But Important Character in Ashur’s Storyline
Much like Achillia, the doctore of Ashur’s ludus, Korris, is also a fictional character created to serve the plot. The role of doctore is borrowed from the real role that was prescribed to the trainers who led a ludus. Their job was to whip the novice warriors into shape and transform them into gladiators. Usually, the doctores were former gladiators who had earned their freedom in the arena and didn’t want to return there themselves but would help other gladiators survive and earn their own freedom. They would pass on their knowledge to the novices, helping them survive the harsh reality of their situation. Korris is introduced in a similar context. Played by Graham McTavish, Korris is a former slave and gladiator who is now free and has accepted Ashur’s offer to build his ludus from the ground up by training young fighters to become fearsome gladiators.
Of course, he has his work cut out for him, but that does not deter him. While he usually remains out of the arena, he still engages in combat in different circumstances. This is why McTavish had to physically prepare himself for the demands of the role. He joined Tenica Davis and other cast members in gladiator boot camp, where he trained for four hours every day to learn skills such as wrestling, weapons handling, and other forms of martial arts. While it was quite a challenge, he considered it an essential part of the process in authentically portraying Korris. He empathised with his character, who tries to hold his moral ground under all circumstances. While he may appear difficult on the outside, he is a more considerate person on the inside, and that’s what makes him one of the more rootable characters in the show.
Read More: Spartacus: Is the Movie Inspired by True Historical Events?
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