Gladiatorial Conquests as Public Entertainment In the ancient world public entertainment was crucial in most
societies so that the order of the people could be maintained and
monitored by the respective ruler. Public entertainment came commonly
in the form of an act or show that was used as an amusement or
diversion to hold the attention of mass audiences of which is open to
the whole community or the people in general (Entertainment, nd,
online). With Rome and Greece being accountable for the positioning of
the foundations that shaped modern day Europe we are instinctively
drawn to analyse the functions of these societies. A plausible way to
the way of life of these civilisations is to look to the forms of
public entertainment that were enjoyed by the individual populace. The
public entertainment that the Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed was a
reflection of their societal values and individual way of life. Facets
of this essay will be contrasting the Gladiatorials exhibited by the
Romans and the Ancient Olympics by the Greeks. Subtopics including the
origins of the two forms of public entertainment and the role of
spectators and the athletes in each will be used to support the
reflection of societal values and way of life that is represented
through these forms of public entertainment. Of course in order to
understand and comprehend the societal values and way of life of each
of the civilisations we must first learn of the origins of both forms
of mass entertainment...
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... entertainment that gave the citizens a sense of power and emperor a
sense of control. Note these two feelings; power and control reflect
Rome’s unrelenting desire to dominate the Mediterranean region and
their violent fight in gaining that. These games that the Romans
enjoyed so much are unmistakably a mirror image of a society in chaos.
The Ancient Olympic Games however reflect a more respectful society in
harmony. When the two civilisations are placed side by side the hidden
connotation of the age old saying good verses evil is evidently
apparent. Roman public entertainment of gladiatorials was evil and
Greece’s ancient Olympic entertainment was of high morale. Proved in
this essay is that the public entertainment enjoyed by these two
civilisations clearly reflects their societal values and individual
way of life.
The Roman Army was a masterpiece in itself. There was no other army like it, and was impenentrable. This was probably because of the extreme patriotism and pride in battling for Rome, and maintaining their superiority. Gladiator, "RomanArmy.com", and The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire all portray this patriotism in many aspects.
The culture of Ancient Rome had a distinct way to entertain its citizens. Besides spending times at the baths, Romans found pleasure and delight in the games held at the local coliseum. These games were among the bloodiest displays of public amusement in the history of man. Professional wrestling and boxing today, do not come close to the disgusting horrors that the people of Rome took so much pleasure in observing. Although the games were very bloody and extremely brutal, often killing many men and animals, the Romans enjoyed the scenery of life and death being very near. Watching men fight and eventually die a dreadful death, is what fascinated the Roman population in great degree as the games were one of their favorite ways to spend their leisure time. The ancient Romans had a very bloodthirsty taste for entertainment exhibited in the form of gladitorial combat.
When the Romans went to the gladiator fights, they wanted to watch a very exciting and entertaining contest. So, the Romans purposefully set up the gladiator fights to be unfair by making the matchups unbalanced. The gladiator’s living conditions affected the fight. Yet, with all the morals and myths that the Roman government promoted as what was expected of the roman citizens, the brutal battles that were in the coliseum wouldn’t be tolerated, but they were. The unpredictable outcome of these matches were what made these so entertaining.
Gladiatorial games occupied a central role in society. Sponsored during the republic by rich magistrates and later in the Empire by the Emperors themselves, the games have long been called an election tool.
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."
a chariot racing or gladiatorial event in Rome . It was “imperial policy to occupy the populace as much as possible with games, that their minds be kept off their lost political liberties” . The games kept the minds of the citizens occupied and it served to keep the gossip in the streets of the Roman Empire from turning to politics. In the streets of the Roman Empire, the populace stuck to talking of the Roman games, as talk of politics could result in a punishment as harsh as death. The Emperors in Rome employed spies, and informers that would turn any citizen in for talking of politics. They even went so far as to employ individuals who would intentionally break the law in order to induce others into breaking the law so that they could be
entertainment was cruel and brutal it satisfied the Roman's need for excitment and relaxation. In
“The Romans are often characterized as loving violent and cruel entertainment in the amphitheatre. It has been suggested that the games served the dual purpose of providing entertainment for the people and maintaining the political status quo.”
You’re a gladiator in Rome in 72BCE. You fight with little to no protection with someone in the same place as you to the death for roman entertainment. “Gladiator games started off as a form of celebration at important funerals. It was believed that the killing of a gladiator would keep away the evil spirits and please the gods.” In the games animals were also brought in to fight.
During the middle and late third century Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public. Many politicians held these highly known games to help them sway votes of power and popularity (Meijer 2003, 27). “The arena was the embodiment of the empire.” (Futrell 1997, 209). The contestants, or the gladiators, had more significance of the Roman Empire beyond that as their role of entertainment.
Much like today’s athletes gladiators competed with one another to decide a victor and is a form of entertainment for people spectating. But Gladiators competed much different than professional athletes do today. Gladiators were forced to fight for the entertainment of others and were considered slaves (“ The Roman Gladiator”). Gladiators did not just fight for friendly sport either they had to fight to the death. This made the gladiatorial games so exciting for the people watching. The people loved to watch others fight and the gore that they would see while the gladiators were fighting. It may sound horrible in today’s society but back then it was the most prominent form of entertainment. Different from today’s athletes and entertainers, gladiators were slaves and were told what to do against their will. Much of the gladiators were slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. Gladiatorial games were mostly held by the Roman Republic and forced there enemy’s to fight for their lives in the...
The first known gladiatorial combat in Rome took place at the funeral of a nobleman named Junius Brutus in 264 B.C.2 His sons Marcus and Decimus revived an ancient Etruscan custom of having slaves fight at the funeral of a great leader in the belief that such a sacrifice would please the gods. During the ceremony, three pairs of slaves were forced to fight to the death. In 216 B.C., twenty-two pairs of slaves fought at the funeral of a man named Marcus Lepidus. Sixty pairs of slaves fought when Publicus Licinius died in 183 B.C. These slave fighters were now known as bustiarii, or funeral men.3 By the time of Julius Caesar, any direct association with funerals and religion was gone, and these fighters, now known as gladiators, meaning swordsmen, were a powerful force in Roman politics. He bought the affection of the people with magnificent banquets and spectacles that were open and free to the public. Caesar then estab...
Gladiators were combatants equipped for arena battles. These battles were against other soldiers, conquered enemies, slaves, and criminals. Even wild beasts were added to be part of the bloody spectacle. Gladiators were a source of entertainment for Roman crowds, politicians and nobility at the Coliseum. It was the Roman equivalent to a Packer game at Lambeau field. A few gladiators were volunteers, but most were detested as slaves. Regardless of where they came from, gladiators allowed spectators to see an example of Rome 's military principles and, how to die an honorable death. The origin of gladiator combat is unclear, evidence supports that it became an important attribute of politics
Many of the games we play today is of ancient origin and even then provided mass entertainment of fans. In the beginning, ancient sports like the Olympic Games started out as rituals to honor gods or a leader and later developed into public events with festivals that surrounded the games (Jewell, Moti, & Coates, 2012). Today festivals are still seen during the Olympics Games, pre-game and post-game activities are held for NFL games, and fan’s host parties on game day surrounding favorite sporting events. Interesting, ancient sporting events began as a way to help individuals prepare for warfare. Individuals in ancient spots competed to help prepare themselves for military fighting, t...
Entertainment wise the Greeks and the Romans were well occupied. Rome had Chariot races and Gladiator fights while Greece had the Olympic Games and the Greek dramas. Gladiator fights were very popular. In fact even though most gladiators were