Leisure Activities

Question 1

Visiting the baths

Answer 1

• Afternoon visit daily routine
• complexes stayed open at night (lamps in forum and Stabian baths)
• Senneca: “bustling and lively places”
• First buildings to be constructed in colonies
• entry costs were low
• social club
• bathhouse consisted of gymnasium, health centre, food outlet and brothel
• Extremely decocorative and luxurious

Evidence
P:
- Stabian Bath: oldest and under repair at time of eruption
- Central Bath: under constrcution at time of eruption
- Forum baths: fully functioning 
- Sarno Baths: fully functioning
H:
- Suburban Baths: best preseved
- Forum Baths

Question 2

Exercise

Answer 2

• Training groudn called Palaestra

- P: oppposite amphitheatre

Question 3

Theatre

Answer 3

• Traditional tradgedy, comedy and pantomime were popular
• Theatre at H was one of towns most impressive buildings (perfect condition)
• Theatrical performances were organised for religious festivities
• Free entry (must present piece of bone or ivory to indicate where you would sit/social status)
• Actors (disgraced) large fan clubs
• women took part but did not act

Evidence:

• mosaic of theatrical masks
• Large Pompeiian theatre + smaller
• H had 1

Question 4

Prostitution

Answer 4

• Murals depict sexual scenes, with similar themes (naked people, fair skinned women, tanned atheletic men)
• Found in brothels, inns, taverns, and lunch counters
• possibly used as stimulation or advertisement
• a husband would not seek sexual pleasures from his wife. Rather, out of respect for her, a man would pay for pleasurable sex, especially those acts that were not expected to be performed by a respectable woman

Question 5

Othe activities

Answer 5

• Cock fighting involved rival roosters fighting to the death.
• A scene depicting women playing knucklebones has been found at Herculaneum (possibly gambling).
• Pompeii had a large palaestra with a natatio in the centre, Herculaneum had one that was 110m x 70m with a cross shaped swimming pool – shows the importance of sport.
• Traditional atheltics, wrestling, javelin, discus