daily life, final exam Flashcards
gladiators, colosseum, chariot racing, childhood, education system, women, marriage and hairstyles
which was more popular- gladiatorial combats or chariot racing?
chariot racing
from what culture did gladiator combats come from?
Etruscan funeral rites
where was the first evidence of a real gladiatorial show?
at a funeral
what does venatio / venationes mean?
hunt
what is the name for gladiators who fight wild animals?
bestiarii
originally, gladiator games were religious ceremonies held only at funerals. What was the problem with this?
the games were getting more popular and they wanted to disconnect them from funerals
why do gladiator training schools come into existence?
people have more fun at games where the gladiators are trained
what does ludus mean?
game / school
how many gladiator schools are in Rome?
4
what is a gladiator trainer called?
lanista
what is a troop of gladiators called?
familia
true or false: lanistai were often former gladiators and people who had been in the military
true
what word does gladiator come from?
gladius = sword
true or false: almost all gladiators were slaves
true
true or false: gladiator doctors were the best around
true, but they only knew about the inside of men’s bodies
when a gladiator dies, what does he get?
a Rudis: latin word for stick (it’s a wooden sword)
the name for an ex-gladiator who has been granted a rudis is _____
rudiarus
what is the name for where gladiators would fight?
harena: latin word for sand (because it soaks up blood)
what is the name for the person who puts on the gladiatorial games?
editor
who was the emperor who banned Ludi?
Honorius
where were all the large wild animals (the beasts that the gladiators fought) from?
North Africa
where is the earliest known-of amphitheatre?
Pompeii
who made the first stone amphitheatre?
Emperor Vespasian
Colosseum or coliseum?
colosseum
who was the Emperor who turned downtown Rome into a giant lake with his golden house right around it?
Nero
what does colosseum mean?
refers to a colossal statue of the sun that was right next to it
what were the seats in amphitheatres made of?
marble
who is the Flavian amphitheatre named after?
Emperor Vespasian and his son T. Flavius Vespasianus
how many arches are in the colosseum?
80
how many statues are in the colosseum?
160
what is the awning over the colosseum called?
the velum
how many rows do small amphitheatres have?
3
how many rows do big amphitheatres have?
5
what are big blocks of bleachers called?
Maenianum
who invented bleachers?
C. Maenius
what is the flat area in the front of the colosseum (where the rich people sat) called?
podium
what is the first level seating in the colosseum called?
Maenianum Primum
what is the second lower- level seating in the colosseum called?
Maenianum Secundum Imum
what is the second higher-level seating in the colosseum called?
Maenianum Secundum Summum
what is the top row called (this one is made of wood)
Maenianum Summun In Ligeneis / Porticus
who sat in the top row at the colosseum?
homeless people, slaves and women
the seating is divided into blocks. what are these blocks called?
cunei (means wedge)
who decided that women should be allowed to see the gladiatorial games?
Augustus
what is the name for the section where the emperor would sit with his friends?
pulvinar
who wrote the first ever autobiography?
St. Augustine
who wrote about the gladiator games in greek?
Cassius dio
who wrote about the spectacle of seeing elephants at the circus Maximus?
Pliny the Elder
which Emperor found a rhino for the games?
Emperor Domitian
what did Domitian do because he was so proud of finding a rhino?
he put it on a coin
how long were gladiatorial fights?
all day
true or false: gladiators usually died during the show
false: it was very expensive to replace gladiators, so they would only die during the big games
what is the ‘regular pattern’ of the gladiatorial games?
games would start in the day and would end when you couldn’t see anymore
what time of day did the big fights happen?
late afternoon
what is the order of the day for gladiatorial games?
start with the executions, then hunts, then smaller fights, then the big fights after dinner
what is condemnatio ad bestias?
throwing people to the beasts (basic punishment)
what is the tunica molesta?
a tunic soaked in flammable liquid is lit on fire, the person inside burns the death
what is condemnatio ad gladium?
they’re condemned to the sword: they’re made a gladiator and they had to be killed within a year
what is condemnatio ad ludum?
the defeated gladiator is permitted to keep fighting, and if they’re still alive after 3 years they’re freed
how many animals could they kill per day?
up to 5000, but usually a little less
Titus had an average of ___ animals killed per day for ____ days
90 animals killed per day for 100 days
Trajan had __ animals killed over ___ days
95 animals killed over 117 days
how many animals and gladiators did Trajan have killed in total?
1100 animals, 10 000 gladiators
true or false? there was music at gladiator fights
true: they had water organs, long trumpets and tubas
what does Missum Fac ! / Missos Fac! mean?
“give them a reprieve”, meaning the gladiator fought really well and the crowd does not want them to die
what does Iugula! mean?
“slit their throat”
what does Hoc Habet! mean?
“he’s had it!” i.e something dramatic has happened
what does a gladiator do to signify that he’s given up?
he gets down on one knee and holds one finger up: the guy he’s fighting will put his sword up to his throat and the defeated gladiator will slit his own throat along it
how many general types of gladiators were there?
16
what were the primary and secondary referees called?
summa rudis / secunda rudis (top stick and second stick)
what did referees wear?
long tunics with small belts
why are Thracian gladiators called that?
because their uniform is the armour that the Thracians wore when they were defeated by the Romans
which two types of gladiators did Samnites evolve into?
hoplomachus and secutor
venator gladiators…
another word for bestiarius, just means hunters
true or false? people would buy lamps with graphic depictions of gladiator fights
true! they also had night lights for babies with gladiator symbols on it
what was the most popular form of entertainment in the roman world?
the circus
why is ‘the circus’ called that?
because the track is circular
what was the biggest circus?
the circus Maximus
what is the legend behind the creation of the circus Maximus?
romulus and remus set up a track to race horses between the Palatine and the Aventine hills which eventually became the circus
why is the circus Maximus set up between two hills?
so people can sit on either side and watch
which king of Rome put seats in the circus?
Tarquinius Priscus (5th king)
who changed the wood foundation of the circus Maximus into stone?
caesar
how big is the final version of the circus Maximus?
621 metres long and 118 metres wide
at the end of the republic, how many people could the circus Maximus fit?
about 150 000
in the time of Emperor Trajan, what changes were made to the circus Maximus?
everything was made of marble and it could seat 250 000 people
how far away could you hear the cheering from the circus?
3 miles away at tres taberna
under which emperor did the back part of the circus collapse, and how many people did it kill?
under Antoninus Pius // killed 1000 people
what was a key difference for women at the circus Maximus versus at the colosseum / amphitheaters?
women did not have to sit at the top at the circus Maximus
what is the ceremonial procession that preceded the games called?
pompa
what are the starting gates at the circus Maximus called?
carceres
what is the spina?
the ‘spine’ of the circus: the Long narrow middle section used to ensure everyone fully completed a lap and did not cheat
what are the metae?
3 conical posts at each end of the circus, a boundary marker
what is an obelisk?
a tall spindly tower imported from Egypt
where is the Obelisk of Gaius / the Vatican Obelisk now situated?
at St. Peter’s basilica
how many teams of chariot racers are there?
4
what are teams of chariot racers called?
factiones
what were the 4 colours of factiones?
red, green, blue and white
which two teams of chariot racers were bought up by the end of the Byzantine period?
the reds and the whites
who owned charioteers?
businessmen who sought to make a profit
what are curse tablets?
a tablet that you would scratch your curse into, fold it, nail it shut, bury it and pour water on it
how many teams could you have racing at any one time?
up to twelve. You could either do a single-entry race (4 teams) or a double / triple entry race
what is a biga?
a chariot with 2 horses
what is a quadriga?
chariot with 4 horses
which was more common: bigas or quadrigas?
quadrigas
how many horses could you technically race with?
up to 10, but this was very difficult to control
how many laps did charioteers have to do?
7
what were used as lap counters in the races?
7 statues of dolphins and 7 statues of eggs that would be tipped over as the race progressed
how many races went on per day on average?
10 - 12
by the 4th century, for very important and fancy events, you could have up to ___ races in a day
24
what is the latin name for a charioteer?
an Auriga
what do Aurigas wear / have?
a helmet and armour made of long strips of boiled leather, protectors on his arms and legs, a whip, and a falx: a sickle used to cut the ropes
why is the falx so important?
the ropes attached to the horses would go around the Auriga’s waist, so if the chariot went down, he would use the falx to cut himself free to avoid being trampled to death
true or false: horses were beloved, had names and were well taken care of
true
how young do some charioteers start racing?
12 or 13
true or false: famous charioteers had tombstones with their CVs written on them
true
who is Scorpus?
a famous charioteer who won 2048 times
who is C. Appuleius Diocles?
a famous charioteer who won 4257 times
which famous charioteer had written on his tombstone that he defeated Scorpus?
C. Appuleius Diocles
who is M. Aurelius Polynices?
a famous charioteer who won 739 times
who was M. Aurelius Mollicius Tatianus?
a famous charioteer who raced for all 4 factions
true or false: most roman children were born at home
true
what were roman midwives called?
obstetrix
on what day did the father meet his daughter?
day 8
on what day did the father meet his son?
day 9
what is dies lustricus?
the day the baby is presented to the father
what is lustratio?
a purification ceremony for the baby
true or false: roman boys were weaker and tended not to survive
true
what is pater familias?
means father of the family: in the early republic this meant the oldest male member of the family, so usually the grandfather. as time went on, it just meant father
after the presentation of the baby, what was the sign that the father had accepted it?
he would take the baby in his arms
what happened if the baby was rejected by the father?
the baby would be ‘exposed’: left outside for slave collectors to grab, given to relatives, sometimes the wife would hide the baby
what is a bulla?
am amulet usually made of leather given to the baby to keep the bad spirits away
what is patria potestas?
power of the father: in early times, fathers could do anything they wanted to a child as long as they had a reason
how could a man get out from under the patria potestas? (3)
he could be adopted into another family, he could become a priest of Jupiter or he could sign a legal document
how could a woman get out from under patria potestas?
she could become a priestess of vesta
how many live births did a woman have to have in order to free herself of patria potestas? (differs for freewomen vs freedwomen)
freewoman: 3 live births
freedwoman: 4 live births
true or false: both boys and girls went to primary school
true
what is a paedagogus?
a tutor/nanny for young children - early teens who takes kids to school
what is the name for the first teacher a child will have?
a litterator ot a magister
true or false: you had to pay the teacher directly
true
where were schools in Rome?
some were just a corner in the forum , some were proper buildings with classrooms
true or false: women looked after all the finances
true. men controlled it, but women took care of it
at what age do most girls drop out of school?
between 10 - 12
what do roman mothers teach their daughters? (4)
cooking, weaving, swaddling, sewing
what is the name for a roman high school teacher?
a grammaticus
what do you learn in roman high school?
writing, speaking, learning and reciting poetry (if you’re upper class you’re probably studying greek)
at what age do roman kids go to high school?
10 - 12
what is the name for a roman university prof?
a rhetor
at what age do roman children go to university?
15
what do you get taught at roman university?
public speaking
true or false: in the empire, roman women were seen as extremely liberated from an outside perspective
true
what culture may have influenced the roman treatment of women?
Etruscan
true or false: women could run businesses, have public profiles, sign legal contracts, have a will and inherit things
true
what change happened that made it so women were more restricted (around the 3rd century)
the rise of christianity
10 things a husband would expect from his wife: a catalogue of virtues
- dutiful
- obedient
- noble
- faithful
- chaste
- honest
- a support to her husband and children
- fertile
- modest.
- wit and grace
3 limitations on the freedoms of freeborn women:
- couldn’t vote
- couldn’t run for office
- couldn’t be in the army
what was the only respectable public profession women could do without judgement?
being a priestess, especially of Juno and vesta
what profession was seen as the same as being a prostitute in the eyes of the romans?
actress
at what age were girls considered educate enough to handle being a wife and mother?
13 or 14
true or false: upper class girls were often taken out of school earlier than lower class girls
true: daughters were married off to political rivals to ‘keep the peace’
true or false: in the republic it didn’t matter how old the woman was, she would have a guardian
true: she could be 60 years old with a 30 year old guardian
true or false: women could initiate divorce
true
what is sponsalia?
means betrothal: is a legal contract signed by the fathers of the people getting married
what is the youngest age for freeborn citizens to be betrothed?
12 for girls and 14 for boys
true or false: there is no rule for how old a slave must be before marriage
true: there’s a tombstone of somebody’s wife who was 7 when she died
what are the 2 kinds of roman marriage?
in manu mariti and sine manu mariti
3 traits of in manu mariti marriages
- the woman is owned by her husband
- everything would pass over to the husband except the dowry
- has the same legal relationship with her husband as her children do
latin word for dowry
dos
2 qualities of sine manu mariti marriages
- not under her husband’s patri potestas
- none of her legal status changes: became very popular in the early empire as it gave women much more freedom and control
what is the name for a marriage between 2 slaves?
contubernium
true or false: children took the legal status of their mother
true
true or false: if a free woman marries a slave, her children are slaves
true: the women becomes a slave when she marries one
true or false: men were not allowed to marry slaves, freedwomen or the daughter of a freed woman
true
true or false: roman marriages were exclusively civic, not religious
true
what is the only thing necessary for a legal marriage?
affectatio maritalis: the living together of a man and women with the intention of forming a lasting union by both parties
what is deductio in domum mariti?
the parade of the bride going from her fathers house to her husbands
what Is the ONE legal thing you HAVE to do in order for a marriage to be official?
deductio in domum mariti
what was the only reason needed to legally dissolve a marriage ?
one party no longer has affectatio maritalis
2 reasons husbands could divorce their wife (other than no more affectatio maritalis)
- if his wife was infertile
- if his wife cheated on him
1 reason a wife could divorce her husband (other than no more affectatio maritalis)
if her husband was a grave-robber
how is divorce handled?
the couple must either have a witness, or have a written document
what is it called when one person wants to divorce the other?
repudium
what is it called when both parties want to divorce?
divortium
what is the name of the process of ‘emancipating’ the ex-wife in cases of in manu marriages?
mancipatio
what was the favourite month for weddings?
june
how would the bride-to-be do her hair?
she would braid it and tie it up in wool bands
what does a bride wear for her wedding?
a straight white tunic, tied up with the ‘knot of hercules’ (no idea what this is). she wears a long bright red headscarf and red shoes
true or false: during a wedding, everyone waits for the bride
false: they wait for the groom
true or false: there were no real officiants, anyone could marry a couple
true
who was most often the officiant of weddings, and what are they called?
maid of honour, who is called the pronuba
what is dextrarum iunctio?
means ‘junction of the right’: the bride and groom shake hands instead of kissing
true or false: more often than not, brides were substantially younger than their grooms
true
usually romans did not wear rings. if they did, who wore it and what was the design?
the woman wore it, and it had hands shaking on it
who pays for the food at a wedding?
the groom’s father
what time of day does the reception take place?
the afternoon. the party ends when it turns to night
what animal was usually sacrificed for a wedding?
a pig
what is a roman wedding cake called and what is it made of?
a mustaceum: it’s made of wine, grapes and grape leaves
true or false: under Augustus, roman contraception was so good that he had to encourage people to have children
true
after the wedding, what does the groom prepare at his house?
a bowl of water
who leads the procession of all the wedding guests from the bride’s house to the groom’s?
3 young boys with torches
what does the bride tie to the doorposts at her grooms house?
3 woolen bands
what does the bride use to coat the doorposts at the grooms house and what does it symbolize?
oil or animal fat: symbolizes plenty
true or false: the groom carries the bride over the threshold to his home
true
how does the bride purify herself?
the touches water and something to symbolize fire
who are the 3 univirae?
women who have only had 1 husband. they take the bride and groom to the bedroom and explain the birds and the bees
true or false: the couple must consummate the marriage while all the wedding guests are there?
true
what is the name of the poem that is written for the couple and spoken aloud while they consummate the marriage?
epithalamium
true or false: big hair was very fashionable
true
true or false: romans had toupees
true
any slave who is freed by a woman takes the praenomen ____
Caeiae
what armour do Thracian gladiators wear?
a big helmet with a face mask, and shin pads that extend to the thighs (grieves)
what are shin guards called?
grieves
what weaponry does a Thracian gladiator have?
a curved sword (sica) and a round shield (parma)
what is a little round gladiatorial shield called?
a parma
what is the name for a little curved gladiatorial sword ?
a sica
what do retiarius gladiators wear as armour?
a cover on his left shoulder and neck (galaris) and a leather padded arm cover on his LEFT arm (manica)
what weaponry does a Retiarius gladiator have?
a net and a trident
what is the name for the leather cover that gladiators would wear to cover their arm and neck?
galaris
what is the name for the leather arm covering that gladiators would wear?
manica
what do Samnite gladiators wear as armour?
a helmet with big eyes and a feather, a manica on his RIGHT hand and a grieve on his left leg
what weaponry do Samnite gladiators have?
a mite sword and a legionary shield with thunderbolts on it
what are the main differences between a Retiarius gladiator’s manica and a Samnite gladiator’s manica?
Retiarius: wear the manica on their LEFT arm
Samnite wear the manica on their RIGHT arm
what armour do hoplomachus gladiators wear?
a big square helmet with a visor and some chainmail
what weaponry do hoplomachus gladiators use?
a long sword and a long shield
what armour does a secutor gladiator wear?
a rounded helmet and two grieves
what kind of armour does a murmillo gladiator wear?
BASED ON GALLIC ARMOUR: they wear a big shield with a fish on it
