Learn more about Roman entertainment.

1. Entertaining the Masses

2. FocusFocus
At 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.

3. Rites to VotesRites to Votes
Roman 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.

4. Massive EntertainmentMassive Entertainment
Games, 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.

5. 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

6. Kind and PlaceKind and Place
The 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

7. TheatricsTheatrics
The 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

8. 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
http://www.vroma.org/images/
mcmanus_images/comedy.jpg

9. TheatersTheaters
At 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.

10. 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.

11. AmphitheatersAmphitheaters
Amphitheaters 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 passages
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/underground.jpg
Wall separating arena and seating
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/uthina_wall.jpg

12. LocationLocation
Due 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. ...Salute you...Salute you
Romans 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.

17. What to seeWhat to see
There 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

18. 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

19. 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.

20. RetirementRetirement
If 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
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/lanista.jpg
Mosaic with Lanista

21. A CircusA Circus
While 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.

22. The TrackThe Track
The 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.

23. The Teams of DriversThe Teams of Drivers
Up 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).

24. The Circus MaximusThe Circus Maximus
The 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.

25. 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.

26. AssignmentAssignment
Just 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.