When Gordian is lying on the ground in the arena and Marcus is above him with his sword waiting for the Emperor's decision if Gordian is to live or die, Gordian is first shown with his shirt lifted up completely bare-chested. The next scene, he is totally covered by his shirt.
In Rome, the crowd signaled that they wanted death in the coliseum by raising their thumbs up, rather than down, as commonly believed.
The main character is alternately called Centurion and General, as if the titles were interchangeable. Centurions were the sergeants and sergeant majors of the Roman army.