Goofs in the movie Gladiator

Anachronisms: In the opening battle scene in Germania there is a
banner marked "Pratoria XIV" (behind Marcus Aurelius). The
"subtractive" form of Roman numerals was not normally used in 180
AD. The form at the time would have been "Pratoria XIIII."

Anachronisms: When Maximus returns home to his fields, tractor
tracks are visible in a field of wheat by the road.

Factual errors: After Commodus first acts against Maximus and he
escapes, we see an almost-full moon in the night sky -- with the
fully-lighted side (which must face the sun) angled upward.

Anachronisms: Stirrups can be seen being used on some of the
horses. But stirrups were not used until about 800AD.

Anachronisms: In the arena when Maximus first meets Commodus,
after returning to Rome, he bends down to grab an arrowhead; you
can see a rubber sole on Maximus' shoe.

Revealing mistakes: You can see Marcus Aurelius breathing when
Lucilla greets Commodus as the new emperor.

Revealing mistakes: After Maximus is dead, we can see a neck
pulse.

Anachronisms: Many of the helmets worn by the gladiators are of
types introduced up to 700 years later.

Revealing mistakes: After the fight vs Commodus, one can see a
piece of sky where the Colosseum's upper tiers should be.

Anachronisms: In a close up of Lucilla you can see her contact
lenses.

Errors in geography: In one scene we can see the river Tiber from
the Colosseum, yet the Colosseum was in a position near one of
Rome's hills from which no road led unblocked towards the river.

Anachronisms: A bicolored German Shepherd is in many of the scenes
of the German battle. In fact, German Shepherds with black
coloring did not occur until the 16th century. The correct Roman
war dog was the Mastiff.

Crew or equipment visible: The morning after the battle, when
General Maximus is patting his horse, you can see a crew member in
blue jeans walking backwards through the space underneath the
horse's head and neck.

Factual errors: The audience in the Colosseum was segregated.
Women, as the lowest class citizens, would have been on the top
tier. In the film we see women sitting with the men.

Crew or equipment visible: During the initial Colosseum fight in
Rome when a chariot crashes into a wall, an air ram tank is
visible.

Factual errors: The Colosseum as depicted in the film is bigger
than it really was (and is today). When we get to see the interior
it has the correct proportions but the exterior looks about 1.5
times bigger.

Anachronisms: When the hilt of his sword is shown, his name is
spelled MARCUS AURELIUS, but the letter U did not yet exist
separate from V, so it should be MARCVS AVRELIVS.

Factual errors: Roman legions always fortified their encampments.
They never camped on open space.

Anachronisms: Locks as portrayed in the movie were not yet
invented.

Anachronisms: Most of the Roman clothes are not consistent with
the time period.

Crew or equipment visible: In the Roma-Carthage battle
reenactment, when one of the archers is cut in two by a chariot's
wheel blade, a crew member can be seen kneeling in the chariot
from the rear camera shot.

Crew or equipment visible: At the end of the second battle in
Zucchabar, Maximus throws his sword, the shot changes showing
Maximus and his fallen competitors as he taunts the crowd. A crew
man (blue jeans, white T-shirt) and camera can be seen on the left
of the screen, first row.

Anachronisms: During the fight with the tigers, Maximus falls and
rolls over, clearly showing Lycra bike-style shorts.

Factual errors: There wasn't a single war called "The Battle of
Carthage." Rather, the campaign of wars against the Carthaginians
and the Phoenicians was called the Punic Wars.

Anachronisms: In the film, flags are shown flying around the top
of the Colosseum on "flag poles." Those "flag poles" in reality
held pulleys which were used with tackle to roll a covering down
over the Colosseum to protect the people from the sun. Flags
didn't appear until a thousand years later.
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