Entertaining the Masses

FocusFocusAt the end of this presentation you will be able to

identify the 3 basic forms of Roman entertainment.

Theatrical: evolved from Greek and Roman traditions

Gladiatorial: evolved from funerals

Racing: is said to have started with Romulus

You should also be familiar with the structures in which each type of entertainment was performed.

Rites to VotesRites to VotesRoman entertainment started out connected to

religious ceremonies and/or funerals. Soon the spectacle became the reason for going rather than the religious rites being observed. The masses at Rome loved the shows and it did not take long for politicians to realize they could improve their approval rating with games that pleased the crowd.

Massive EntertainmentMassive EntertainmentGames, plays and races

continued to be held in conjunction with religious or festival days and admission was free. Since everyone was off work thus, started the tradition to “camp out” for the best seats. But, seating was arranged by class, so mostly the average, poor citizens of Rome were the ones waiting for the best of the worst seats.

Game DaysGame Days Ludi Megalenses: April 4-10;

honors Cybele (the Great Mother); started in about 204 BC Ludi Cereales: April 12-19;

honors Ceres (goddess of grain and harvesting) Ludi Florales: April 28-May 3;

honors Flora (goddess of flowers) Ludi Apollinares: July 6-13;

honors Apollo; started in 212 BC to celebrate the defeat of Hannibal Ludi Consualia: August 21 and December 15;

celebrates the consuls Ludi Romani: September 15-19;

honors Jupiter Optimus Maximus Ludi Plebi: November 4-17;

celebrates the plebeians; started during the Second Punic War as a morale booster

Kind and PlaceKind and PlaceThe Romans had several types of entertainment but

they can be categorized by where they happened. Odea: Small theaters for concerts and poetry readings Theaters: For theatrical performances such as plays,

mimes, pantomimes Amphitheaters: For gladiatorial and animal shows;

contains the arena (sand floor) Stadium: For athletics contains 2 metae (turning

posts) Circus: Much Larger than stadiums; contain 2 metae

as well as a spina (wall between the metae); for chariot racing though foot races, gladiatorial combats and other athletics would take place in them

TheatricsTheatricsThe Romans enjoyed a variety of activities at the

theater. Mostly they wanted a good show rather than a well written play. For comedies they preferred slapstick and farce; for tragedies they preferred more melodrama. They might enjoy a concert, a poetry reading or even oratory, or public speaking.

http://www.vroma.org/images/raia_images/sarcophagos10.jpg

Actors

Mimes SpeakMimes Speak

Above all of those, mimes and pantomimes became more popular. Contrary to modern ideas, in mimes the actors had speaking roles set to music and have been compared to modern opera. However, in pantomimes, the actors could not speak and had to act through dance and facial expressions alone making them more like a modern ballet.

Mimes

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TheatersTheatersAt first theaters were temporary structures

without seating, so you had to bring your own or stand. While the Greeks often used a hillside to build the theater, the Romans often used their ingenuity of vaults and concrete. Pompey is given credit for building the first permanent theater in 55BC.

SeatingSeating

The auditorium of the theater had the familiar seating of the rows of benches going up. The orchestra section was the space between the stage and the auditorium and was reserved for senators, priests and other officials.

The scaenae fons was a stone building that was decorated to be the backdrop or scenery of the play. It often had doors and columns as well as statues.

AmphitheatersAmphitheatersAmphitheaters were oval or elliptical in shape and

centered around the arena, a sand floor. The sand was necessary to soak up the blood for the slain animals and gladiators. The arenas often had subterranean tunnels and chambers so that animals and gladiators could appear from trap doors.

Underground passageshttp://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/underground.jpg

Wall separating arena and seating

http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/uthina_wall.jpg

LocationLocationDue to their large size, amphitheaters were

typically built on the edge of town, even outside the town walls. Soldiers sometimes built them outside the fort and may have used the arena for training. The crowd may have been covered with an awning called a velum.

Amphitheater at Troy

The Flavian AmphitheaterThe Flavian Amphitheater the largest amphitheater in Rome part of it is still standing was named for the family of emperors who built it I

○ started by Vespasian ○ finished by his son Titus 12 years later

was built of the site of Nero’s Golden Palace where a large statue of him known as ‘colossus’

the amphitheater came to be known as the Colosseum.

Colossal FeaturesColossal Features It had a retractable velum so large that a group of

sailors were stationed in Rome to operate it. It had numbered entrances so ticket holders would

know where to go. Could hold 50,000 to 70,000 spectators The stairwells were called vomitoria because when the

spectators left, it looked as if they were being vomited out of the Colosseum

We who are about to die.. .We who are about to die.. .In the amphitheaters, gladiatorial combats were the

norm. It all started as munera, or games at funerals. The fight to the death meant the dearly departed would not have to go to the afterlife alone. The games were often all day events and generally included animal hunts as well as people fighting animals in addition to each other. Gladiators were comprised of slaves, criminals and prisoners of war who were trained to fight. The lanista trained them at a ludi.

. . .Salute you...Salute youRomans had their favorite gladiators and some became as

popular as sports figures today. At one point women and even dwarfs were allowed in the arena. At the end of the fight, a defeated gladiator could surrender at which point the victorious gladiator would look to the sponsor of the games for a decision. The sponsor looked to the crowd. If it had been a good fight, the crowd might waive their hankies or give a thumbs down saying ‘mitte’ all of which meant they wanted him to live. If they wanted death, they gave a thumbs up a visual reminder of thrusting a sword into the jugular.

What to seeWhat to seeThere were several types of

gladiators and several things to see at the munera.

Venatio: animal hunts where the animals hunted each other and was not the most entertaining event but made a good warm up act

Bestiarii: fought animals and again was more of a warm up act

Gladiators: the main attraction though there were several types

Bestiarii

Popular GladiatorsPopular Gladiators

Samnite: wore a helmet with a visor and a plume; a shin guard only on the left leg; neck protector on the left shoulder; armed with an oblong shield and a 2 edged sword

Thrax: (Thracian) wore a helmet ; 2 shin guards; armed with a small round shield and a curved sword

Myrmillo/Murmillo: wore a helmet with a fish on it; armed with a large shield and a sword.

Retiarius: wore a galerus; armed with a fish net and a trident

*****Murmillos were oftern paired with Retiarii*****

Gladiators from Zilten Mosaic

More GladiatorsMore Gladiators Essedarius: Fought from a chariot Sagitarius: fought with a bow and arrow Secutos: “follower” like the Samnite but without the

neck protector Laquearius: armed with a noose and a piece of wood Dimachaerus: armed with 2 daggers, one for each hand Hoplomachus: fully armored including a breast plate

and a helmet with a visor Andabata: completely armored but his helmet had no

eye holes, so he had to fight by listening for his opponent.

RetirementRetirementIf a gladiator lived

long enough and fought bravely enough, he could be given a wooden sword. This symbolized that he was retired and no longer had to fight. He might become a lanista or if he kept fighting he could buy his freedom.

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Mosaic with Lanista

A CircusA CircusWhile animals trained to perform tricks might

appear in a circus today, they appeared in the amphitheater back in the day. It is said that Romulus built the first circus, making this the oldest form of entertainment for the Romans. A circus was basically a track.

The TrackThe TrackThe circus was created in the shape of a U with the

top or open end housing the starting gates. Down the middle was a wall called a spina. The spina housed shrines, statues, fountains and the lap counters. On one end, one of 7 wooden eggs was removed after each lap; on the other one of the 7 bronze dolphins was turned over. At either end of the spina were the metae, or turning posts.

The Teams of DriversThe Teams of DriversUp to 12 chariots might race at a time

and charioteers were on teams. The teams were denoted by color: Reds, Whites, Blues and Greens. Naturally the fans had their favorite drivers and teams! The driver would have the reins tied to him and would carry a knife to cut himself loose if he crashed. Typically, they raced with 4 horses in a quadriga, but there were also races with bigas (2 horses) or trigas (3 horses).

The Circus MaximusThe Circus MaximusThe Circus Maximus was built in the area where

the Romans had grown accustomed to watching the races. The oldest stone parts of it date back to 174 BC. It was massive at 1,950 feet long and 660 feet wide. It was easily the largest venue in Rome as far as seating capacity.

To the MaxTo the Max

By the 1st century BC it could hold 100,000 people and by the time of Nero it is said to have held 250,000; but some estimate it could hold over 300,000. The Circus Maximus apparently had obelisks, tall pointed objects like the Washington Monument, shipped all the way from Egypt.

AssignmentAssignmentJust like you, the Romans enjoyed various forms of

entertainment. What do you like to do for fun? Tell the class about your favorite form of entertainment (remembering that you are at school, in a classroom with the teacher listening to your every word). Tell us also the relationship between your entertainment and the Romans’ entertainment. Perhaps you enjoy going to a concert which the Romans also did, but instead of hearing instruments you might hear your favorite singer. Your response post should include your opinion (keep it positive) of how well your classmates’ post explains the relationship of entertainment then and now. Please remember to use proper English, including spelling, grammar and punctuation. You must both post and respond to a classmate for full credit.