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 …show more content…
The games were presented as a forum where the lower classes could voice their concerns to the ruling elite. In a time where the people had lost the right to pass legislation and elect magistrates, the ability to directly voice political concerns at the amphitheater seems to be out of character for the oppressive emperor. The façade of having a political voice only at the games is easily seen through. The discourse between the general populace of Rome and the ruling elite showed that the conversation was very much one sided, and the rights of the plebeians were as restricted as ever. At one gladiatorial show, a Roman Praetor questioned the crowd on their opinion on the return or continuation of the exile of the Roman politician Cicero. Individuals in the crowd who responded to this question with “no” appeared to be members of the lower classed but were in fact “Graeculi” who had been placed in the crowd by Cicero’s enemy A. Claudius. Individuals whose discourse disagreed with the opinions of the emperor often kept their mouths shut so as to not anger the ruling elite and risk becoming one of the unlucky individuals fighting in the arena. The Roman games seemed to provide a stage where opinions and concerns could be voiced to the emperor but …show more content…
The grain dole consisted of distributing grain to the citizens at a reduced price or for no fee at all. Although the grain dole seemed as though it was a generous welfare program for the poor, the system was in fact much more complicated and restricted. The grain dole was limited to a fixed number of recipients who were enrolled on a special register. The individuals on this register were in effect owners of that place on the role and could sell or bequeath their spot on the
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” –Marcus Garvey. The U.S. is a combination of many cultures and influences over the centuries and because of this we are alike to many of them. We could name many of these influences: the Greeks, the Chinese Dynasties but the Romans were particularly like us. We might see them as barbaric is some ways but the reality is that the U.S. takes pages from many areas of the Romans, and comparisons could be drawn between both of us. Examples include government, our religions, and in some ways entertainment. The U.S. is much like the old Roman Empire was more than a millennium ago
The games in ancient Rome have a long and colorful history, and were an incredibly large part of the culture of the great empire. For the purposes of this essay, 3 main functions of the games w... ... middle of paper ... ... the games could be effective by proving the armies absolute power and to divert political opinions. Quote (p 169)'
In looking at the late Roman Republic, one can find many different accounts on how politics worked in Rome. One of these accounts by Polybius gives us a sense of the way politics worked in Rome. Polybius believed, “in all politics, we observe two sources of decay existing from natural causes, the one external, the other internal and self produced” (Polybius 506). The second account by Cicero gives us a framework of how Roman politics play out, stating “The canvass for office resolved itself into an activity of two kinds, of which one is concerned with the loyalty of friends, the other with the feelings of the people” (Cicero 37). By examining these two different views of Roman politics: Polybius’ The Histories of
The citizens of Rome loved to go to these bloody warfares. In the city of Rome, these events were held in the Colosseum. An arena so large that it could hold 50,000 spectators and host fights between men and animals.
...m. This huge circular arena was the pinnacle of the Roman Gladiatorial games, and though it isn't fully intact, it is a great reminder of ancient culture. Though today these games seem inhumane and unnecessary, to their ancient culture it was a vacation from everyday stress. Even the Emperor was said to understand that though money and grain would satisfy and individual, large spectacles were necessary for the contentment of the masses' (wes civ).
On top of justice is being done, we need to look at the functions of
entertainment was cruel and brutal it satisfied the Roman's need for excitment and relaxation. In
However, in both Greek and Roman democracy, true equality was virtually non-existent. Only native men above the age of 18 were permitted to vote, thus; women, slaves, children and immigrants were excluded. Therefore, in Athens during the 4th Century BCE only approximately 45,000 people out of an estimated population of 300,000 were eligible to vote (Patterson 2006). Similarly, estimates suggest that at the height of the Roman Empire only 30,000-70,000 Romans, the maximum capacity of The Forum, would have been able to vote - a comparatively insignificant percentage of the total Roman population (Patterson 2006). Additionally, members of the social elite were granted preferred entry to The Forum, as they were viewed as more politically astute (Patterson 2006). This indicates that, although public meetings and voting played a central role in Roman life, “those involved were likely to be a select and unrepresentative body” (Patterson 2006 pp. 355). Hence, the role of common people was largely a façade, and represented a selection between, and validation of, members of the social elite.
To start with lets look at the start of the Rome, at the first celebration of the Consualia in honour of Consus (an ancient god of agriculture) the rape of the Sabine Women is believed to have happened. Romulus (founder of Rome) held chariot races at this celebration. The Sabine people - An ancient tribe from the mountains of central Italy, were invited to watch the chariot races. During this time Rome had no women, the chariots were a distraction, as the men were watching the Romans kidnapped the women and took them for their own wives. This shows a few things, we can see firstly that chariot racing has existed from the very beginning of Rome, which obviously means it holds a lot of importance to the Romans.
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.
The era of the Pax Romana – though still a period of time filled with civil war and conquests in an attempt to expand the empire – was an overall period of stability for Roman society. During this time the Roman people knew their Emperor was an unwavering political powerhouse with an ability to run the Empire efficiently. In addition to having an efficient political leader, Rome had a strong military force stable enough to protect them from outside forces. The security of the Pax Romana period allowed Romans to focus on politics, culture, and technology providing them the opportunity to progress and flourish as a society.
There were many reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Each one interweaved with the other. Many even blame the initiation of Christianity in 337 AD by Constantine the Great as the definitive cause while others blame it on increases in unemployment, inflation, military expenditure and slave labour while others blame it on the ethical issues such the decline in morals, the lack of discipline of the armies and the political corruption within the Empire. Three major contributions that led to the collapse of the once great empire were: the heavy military spending in order to expand the Empire, the over-reliance on slave labour which led to an increase in unemployment, and the political corruption and abuse of power by the Praetorian Guard leading to the unfair selection of many disreputable emperors and the assassination of those not favoured by the Guard.
140 to 150 metres at its widest point. The fact that it was built in a
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 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.”