Before Ridley Scott agreed to direct the movie “Gladiator,” Hollywood executives showed him the 19th century painting “Pollice Verso” which shows a Roman gladiator waiting while the emperor stretches his thumb down to give him the death sentence. This painting inspired Scott to direct the film. Little did he know that the painting was a bit up-side down.
Romans did not have a “thumbs down” and a “thumbs up” was used to deliver death sentences because it looks like a drawn sword. The roman phrase “pollice verso” means “turned thumb” which the artist of the painting mistook to mean “turned down.” Historical evidence suggests that it actually means “turned up.”
To indicate that the gladiators were granted clemency, an official would present them with a closed fist. A 2nd or 3rd century Roman medallion discovered in France shows two gladiators at the end of a battle and a referee pressing his thumb against his closed fist. The inscription reads: “Those standing should be released.” Scott was later made aware of all this, but continued to perpetuate the myth so as to not confuse the audience.
