Roman Entertainment Sources Flashcards
Lit & Culture 2
Amphitheatre at Pompeii
70BC
Able to seat 20,000 spectators
Awnings for shade
Tiered seating allowed all to see the arena
Exclusive VIP entrances & seating
Arena for gladiator fights & chariot races
Evidence of graffiti promoting gladiatorial fights
Colosseum in Rome
On the Palatine Hill - R&R - cultural importance
Able to seat 50,000 spectators
Tiered seating by status
Trapdoor system - entertainment for spectators as they couldn’t see where the gladiators were coming from
Underground tunnel system - storage of animals, scenery
Emperor’s box near the stage - important and visible
80 entrances - very popular
Awnings to keep spectators cool
Hoplomachus
heavily armed like a Greek hoplite
helmet
round shield
pitted against the murmillo
- re-enactment of Rome’s war against the Greeks
Secutor
heavily armed
helmet with 2 small eye-holes
greave on left leg
arm protector
legionary style shield
trained to fight the retiarius
Murmillo
heavily armed
fish-crested helmet
short greaves
curved, rectangular shield
short sword
Retiarius
lightly armed
large net
trident
arm guard
shoulder guard
small dagger
Thracian
lightly armed
crested helmet with visor
armoured greaves (both legs)
protector on sword arm & leg
small shield
curved sword
Venator
lightly armed
spear
net
performed tricks with animals and wild animal hunts
Bestiarius
no armour
heavily armed - firebrands, whips, spears, bows, lances
found and handled animals
“To Amabilis, a heavily armed gladiator, born a Dacian, a man of 13 fights, cheated by Fate, not man.”
says he was a secutor
inscription after death - importance
“Dacian” - gladiator by slavery
“13 fights” - very skilled and successful
ambiguous death - suggests he didn’t die in the arena
Murmillo Helmet
fin-like decor
little mobility - made of heavy iron
fish crest
visor - fought in the sun
has facial protection without limiting visibility
covered the arch of the neck
Venator relief
with a lioness - expensive to export - power of the empire
column in the background - grandeur of the arena
full depiction of venator
defined pectoral muscles - lust for gladiators
sword, shield, short tunic, greaves and belt all visible
“gladiator’s mistress”
- Juvenal ‘Satires’
suggests a long term relationship
not unusual
gladiators were allowed relationships
“his face were ugly, such as the place rubbed sore by his helmet, a huge growth right on his nose, and a nasty discharge from a constantly running eye.”
- Juvenal ‘Satires’
“helmet” - what type of gladiator
suggests he fought frequently
cannot understand why she loves him when he is so ugly
“It’s steel that they love.”
- Juvenal ‘Satires’
loved the thought of gladiators
seen as sex symbols
Juvenal’s Satire
doesn’t describe the fights or lives
secondary source
exaggeration for comic effect
aggressive when attacking the ills of society
opinion based
Large Theatre at Pompeii
tiered seating - cavea
VIP seating - orchestra - made of marble
tribunals - reserved for sponsors/main VIPs
doesn’t tell anything about the plays/actors
velarium- shield from the sun
semi-circular for acoustics
5000 seats
Depiction of the Circus Maximus
primary evidence
carceres - starting point
centre figure is different than the other charioteers
on the lid of a sarcophagus - part of Rome’s cultural identity, not uncommon, very popular
spina - dolphins to count laps, highly decorated to highlight the wealth of the empire
fairly crude - not finished to a high quality
expensive - most likely painted
does give a sense of the excitement
Charioteer, Ostia
fresco - painted onto wet plaster
depicts a charioteer is his victory lap - holding palm leaf of victory
horse is rearing up - dramatic
need for corroborating evidence
Ostia is a port town - wealthy merchants would have lived there
“To the spirits of the departed. Epaphroditus, charioteer of the Red faction, won 178 times and with the Purples as a freedman he won 8 times. Beia Felicula made this for her well-deserving husband.”
Standard feature to address the departed
Greek name - slavery
impressive number of wins
common to state who paid for it
“Purples” introduced by an emperor - royal colour
“The seat boundary forces us together”
- Ovid, Amores
Suggest a division between classes
Very physical
Crowded
“by waving the programme?”
- Ovid, Amores
Advertisement for the races
“But call them back, Romans, give the sign! Flap your togas everyone!”
- Ovid, Amores
Crowd engagement
False starts
Signal to restart the race
Ovid, Amores 3.2
Designed to entertain, not teach
Augustan age poet (31BC - 19AD)
Love poetry - humourous
Designed for men
Petronius, Satyricon 59-63
Very critical of society
Biased in his own opinion
Not meant to educate but display the nature of society and the rich
“And a calf was brought in on a two-hundred pound plate: it was boiled whole and wearing a helmet. Following it came Ajax…”
- Petronius, Satyricon
Extravagant
“Helmet” - ludicrous for comic effect, attempting to show off
“Boiled whole” - needed a large pan - expensive
“Ajax” - Ancient Greek, showing off knowledge of literature
“Tell s about that adventure you had.”
- Petronius, Satyricon
Humourous ghost stories were often told
Sexual innuendos used - sets the tone
Roman Tragedy
Very little survives
Drew on Greek tradition & tragedies
‘Fabulae Praetextae’ form
Keen to explore themes from early Roman history
Tragic singers (cantica) were popular among Roman audiences
Roman Comedies
Based on New Greek comedies
‘Fabulae Palliatae’ form
Men wore a tunic & cloak
Women wore a palla
Often has props and exaggerative masks to indicate each specific character
Plautus
Believed to have adapted Greek plays
Many similar features in his plays: love affairs, confusion of identity, father-son conflict, cunning slaves, dumb masters
Roman Mimes
Had spoken words
Included acrobatics, songs, dances, jokes
First recorded 170BCE reflected political mood of the day
Roman Pantomimes
Silent
All parts played by 1 actor - never spoke or sang
May be accompanied by a musician
Roman Actors
Held a very low social status by 1st Century BC
Legally infamis - denied Roman citizenship
Organised in a troupe under a troupe leader called a dominus
Drawn from the ranks of slaves or lower class citizens
Roman Audience
Admission was free
Seating hierarchy
Could be wildly supportive or brutal in their condemnation
