ARCHITECTURE what is an amphitheatre?the sitebefore the Colosseumdescriptionfoundationsbuilding the Colosseumbuilding strategydrainsundergroundellipsebuilding materialsthe stones of the Colosseumthe image of the Colosseummodelsthe awningthe Velia hillThe seven hills of RomeAll the numbers of the Colosseumrestoration of the Colosseum GAMES the origin of the gamesgladiatorstypes of gladiatorsorganisation of gamesEdmonson on the spirit of the gamesthe huntscapture of the animalsthe …
PAPERS, studies and essays available in this website Basic bibliographyAdvanced bibliography Classic sources On games Most of the pictures are mine. For the info I have largely used the followingBASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY AA. VV. – Anfiteatro Flavio – Immagine Testimonianze Spettacoli – Quasar, 1988AA. VV. – Sangue e Arena (catalogo della mostra) – Ministero Beni Culturali – …
All visits to the Colosseum must be booked and paid online beforehand. Reservation is required online and by phone also for the same day of the visit.It is understandable, as the Colosseum, together with the Palatine (the ticket is valid for both) was the most visited monument in Italy, until the Uffizi Museum in 2022 got more visitors.Beware: …
In Roman times the death penaltywas sometimes aggravated by the damnatio ad bestias: i.e. being mauled to death by ferocious beasts in the amphitheatre. The condemned person was generally tied to a pole and exposed to ferocious animals that had been kept fastening so as to be more aggressive. A further aggravation consisted in using small …
Games were important to the Roman people:read here the graffiti from Pompeii about games and gladiators, and see here what a character from Petronius Arbiter’s Satyricon says about it. The expense was enormous, and the problem must have been a grave one, because at the times of Tiberius the Senate forbade the organization of games to the …
There weredifferent specializations (familiae) of gladiators, according to the outfit and the weapons used. With the expansion of the empire many different kind of soldiers of the peoples conquered by Rome were represented, and of course also the training was specialized. In the ludus, the gladiator used for the training a wooden sword called rudis, and also …
Ut quisquem vicerit occidat – Kill the loser whoever he may be The Romanscould have free spectacles; it was a right of the citizens to join banquets offered by the rich and famous, and to enjoy shows in the circus or the amphitheatre. Everywhere in the Roman world rich and prominent citizens felt like a duty to …
Here aresome examples of graffiti from Pompeii, painted or scratched on the walls, that advertise gladiatorial fights.AnnouncementCumis gladiatorum paria XX et eorum suppositicii pugnabunt Kalendis Octobribus III pridie Nonas Octobres. Cruciarii, venatio et vela erunt. Curiculus scriptor Lucceio salutem. Glossary:Cumae, arum, f : Cumes ( ville de Campanie)paria, n, pl : couple, pairesuppositicius ,ii : …
Staged hunts (venationes)usually took place in the morning, as an introduction and complement to the gladiators’ combats, that started in the afternoon.Livy, the great historian of Rome, dates the first hunts to the year 568 AUC (ab Urbe Condita, that means from the foundation of the city, i.e. 185 BC), with the games offered by …
For the Romansthe games weren’t just a moment of leisure, but were also an occasion in which people, institutions and the powers congregated. Valerius Maximus tells that Senators and the common people, at least up to the year 560 b.C., assisted to the shows together, standing. Later on the division deepened, and the amphitheatre reflected this …
