Roman Entertainment There were many things the Romans did for entertainment. Even though this entertainment was cruel and brutal it satisfied the Roman's need for excitment and relaxation. In Rome most people loved to watch others suffer and fight to their death. While others loved to go and get a good laugh at the theater or relax and talk about politics at the baths. In the city the state provided most of the entertainment. Outside of the city the people made their own entertainment. One of the places that the state provided for entertainment was the Colosseum. The Colosseum could seat up to about 50,000 people, upper and lower class. The lower class and women had to sit in the highest level of the Colosseum. The rich and upper class had the best seating and the easiest access to the Colosseum. Even though many people think that the Colosseum was used just for gladiatorial battles, the Colosseum was also filled water so the navy could work on its strategies. The gladiatorial battles usually took place from sunrise to sunset. The gladiators not only fought against other gladiators but also against wild beast such as lions, tigers, and many other dangerous animals. In the beginning, slaves were the main fighters in the arena. Then they realized that the slave population was not enough to continue the battles; so many criminals were sent to the gladiatorial schools. Since the criminals were getting sent to the gladiatorial schools to become a gladiator, criminals thought twice before commiting a crime. Another state provided form of entertainment was chariot racing. The chariot races were held in what was called The Circus Maximus. The chariot races held in the Circus Maximus were considered the most popular form of entertainment. The Circus Maximus' entertainment was much like the Colosseum, a visitor could come and stay all day. The Circus Maximus could seat as many as 255,000 spectators. Men and women could sit together, but there was reserved seating for the Emporer, senators, knights, Vestal virgins, and women of the Imperial family. On the day of the event, there were about ten to twenty four races. Just like today there were many precautions taken before each race. The horses and the drivers were both checked to ensure that they had not been drugged, and were able to compete in the games. After each race the crowd was amused with acrobats, rope-dancers, and trick-riders.
Rome’s most famous landmark, Colosseum is a large Amphitheatre that could hold up to 50,000 people seated, which is located in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was used as a royal treat, entertainment where gladiators would fight with wild beast in front of people, animal hunt, theatre performances and public executions for public entertainment and also the King himself. Most of the public event was held at Colosseum. The Roman Colosseum was built between 69 to 79 CE by the Vespasian emperor.
Nero and Caligua spent Rome’s money on lavish lifestyles, not the upkeep. One citizen even said “Do people feel for others? Are they numb to the well-being of others?” Rome originally saved a few days for games, but toward the end of the empire, game days totaled 170. Most poor spent money gambling and drinking. During the millennium festival more than 100 people and exotic animals were killed. The poor didn’t care about the empire to the extent that thy welcomed the Germanic and Barbaric tribes. With the lack of spirit from its citizens, Rome began to fall into the deepest
It is now common knowledge that, in Ancient Rome, people often attended (and enjoyed) gladiatorial fights to the death, wild beast hunts, naval battles and chariot racing, all which often had religious origins. During the reign of Caesar, thousands of men and animals were butchered just to make a Roman holiday! The Romans also enjoyed pantomimes and plays which too were often very violent in nature - "It was not uncommon for a condemned criminal to be executed [on stage] as part of the play."
soldiers, Greece was showing its ultimate power. Not only was it necessary to take war prisoners
The first chapter of Strauss’ work, titled “The Gladiator”, explores both Spartacus’ background as a gladiator and Rome’s fascination with the sport. Strauss outlines how a gladiator match worked in Rome, usually in carefully chosen pairs starting with a practice match with wooden weapons followed by the real officiated match that was generally to the death unless the crowd decided that the wounded deserved to live. The attention is then turned to where the Spartacus legend begins, Capua. Strauss gives a sweeping view of Capua’s history in the Roman Empire, from being punished for allying itself with Hannibal to returning to some prominence as a slave center, in particular for gladiators. Gladiators were usually slaves, and much like Spartacus, were foreign. Spartacus was a Thracian, feared by Romans for their fierceness on hors...
Alan Baker states in his book The Gladiator – The Secret History of Rome’s Warrior Slaves that, “attendance at the amphitheater was an essential part of being a Roman, a member of a powerful warrior state” (Baker 2000, 39). It is said that the Romans were known for their honor and glory as a reflection of the society they lived in. This may perhaps explain why the gladiator games were popular to the citizens, because the Romans enjoyed observing these characteristics throughout the battles. Most of the time the contestants were slaves, these individuals were bought and traded at the coliseum with the intentions of battling in these games until their death.
The Circus Maximus was a large place in Greece. The Circus Maximus was a horse chariot race running around a track. Almost like our NASCAR races today, these races where the biggest attraction in the day of the Greece. The citizens were greatly involved in the racing of the Circus Maximus.("Circus Maximus princeton.edu") Because so many people were involved with these races, they had to find a way to seat all of these people. ("Circus Maximus aviewoncities.com”) This was the first time they invented stadiums. There were also other events held in the Circus Maximus. These events were held for a long time and were eventually ended around 549 BC. The Circus Maximus reflected the values of ancient Rome for entertainment and competition in ancient Roman culture.
The Colosseum was an enormous entertainment center. Roman audiences watched a variety of athletic events and spectacles, including animal hunts, fights to the death between gladiators or between gladiators and wild animals, performances of trained animals and acrobats, and even mock sea battle. The colosseum is designed in an oval shape, like many stadiums today, and seats up to 50,000 spectators. The concrete core, with its vaulted corridors and stair ways is devised to ensure the smooth flow of traffic to and from the arena. The semi-circle outer walls of the Colosseum consist of three levels, the three Classical orders are superimposed according to their "weight": Doric, the oldest, on the first level, it's followed by the Ionic, then the third level the Corinthian capitals. These are the basic structures of the Colosseum in Rome.
The Colosseum is an important part of ancient Roman history. The amphitheater is a symbol of Roman culture. The Colosseum displayed the violence of Roman culture. This incredibly unique amphitheater dominated the city of Rome. It was one of the most innovative and complex structures during that time period. The vastness of this impressive building displayed the wealth and power of the Roman Empire to other empires and enemies of the Romans. The Colosseum was created for public entertainment purposes. Gladiator fights with prisoners of war and slaves, wild animal hunts, professional fights, and public executions all took place at the Colosseum. Sea battles, rarely performed at the Colosseum, involved flooding the arena with water and releasing sharks for gladiators to fight. The excitement and thrill of each event kept spectators coming back.
In ancient Rome, where did you go to have fun or enjoy a show, interact with people. Was their a place or building that can be able to entertain the crowd. Well the Colosseum was the only way where people from Rome, Italy were able to go for entertainment. The Colosseum was design as an amphitheater arena for the people from Rome can enjoy the violent shows they hold. In Rome, Italy during that ancient time it was a very violent and scare era. Therefore, they entertain themselves with gladiator fight and animal attack and the crowd will go wild for that show. The Colosseum architecture was designed purposely to be like an amphitheater. In the city of Austin which is a very popular city in Texas and it is growing more every year. The city of
... we could still imagine the fame and the glory of the gladiators who fought here and sacrificed themselves for the Roman citizens. Regardless the bloodshed and the brutality of the Gladiatorial fights, the Colosseum’s appearance undeniably inspired many other great architectures in the world and served the Roman citizens with laughter and entertainment.
Throughout the history of the Republic, there was a difference between the gladiatorial contests and other forms of spectacular entertainment. The Romans did not invent the concept of gladiatorial fighting; there is some uncertainty as to the exact source. One ancient source says it was the Etruscans, a non-Indo-European people who lived directly north of the Romans.
The Architecture of the Colosseum is very grand, with the capacity to hold up to 80,000 people. The Colosseum is over 160 feet tall, it “has a length of 620 feet and was close to 513 feet wide” (“Colosseum Architecture.”). Because the Colosseum was so big, it would have been very difficult to get so many people in and out of it had it not been for the various arches and stairs built within it. In total there are about 80 arches that each led to various stairways. These stairways then led to all the different levels of the Colosseum, which in turn made it a lot easier and more comfortable for a lot of people to exit it in a short amount of time. The Colosseum also had many arches of which four were “reserved exclusively for royalty and nobles” and the others were for the rest of the people (“Colosseum Architecture.”). Unlike other amphitheaters which had a circular shape, the Colosseum had the unique shape of an oval, which helped the people watching have a better view of the arena. This added to the overall different feel that the Colosseum had.
The Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is perhaps the most famous ancient landmark in the world. The Colosseum was the host to thousands of gladiatorial shows, mock naval battles, executions, and animal hunts. Today, the Colosseum still stands in the center of Rome, Italy, however, not quite as it used to be. Still, today, the Roman Colosseum is a large tourist attraction, thousands of tourists from all over the world still come to view this marveled arena. The Roman Colosseum has a rich history, and remains a prized possession of the Roman citizens.
Starting with the Roman Colosseum, which is located in the center of Rome. It is a ginormous amphitheater of huge 80 arched entrance and seating arrangements for 55,000 spectators. The Colosseum was built over 2000 years ago, which was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian and completed by his son Titus. Originally it was known as Flavian Amphitheatre. The designs of sport stadiums all over the world are still influenced by the Roman Colosseum to this very day!