Roman Games

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Roman Games
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Lecture Summary

• Brief Historical Overview
• The Nature of Competition in Rome
• Types of Contests

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Periodization of Roman History

• Traditional foundation date 753 BCE
• Chronology according to political system
• 753-510 BCE Regal period (Rome ruled by kings)
• 509-49 BCE Republican Period (Rome governed by
  2 Consuls, Senate, Popular Assemblies (mixed
  constitution)
• 49-31 BCE Late Republic Revolutionary Period
• 30 BCE 235 CE The Principate (Rome ruled by a
  Princeps - the first man)
• 235 283 CE Civil Wars/Soldier Emperors
• 284 476 CE The Dominate

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Sources For Republican Rome

• Literature (poetry, legal sources, etc.)
• Historical writings
• Epigraphy
• Art and Archaeology

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Problems with Sources for Republican History

• Literary arts arrived late at Rome (ca. 246 BCE)
• First history written by Q. Fabius Pictor, ca.
  200 BCE
• Public records destroyed in 390 BCE by Gallic
  invaders (Period down to 390 BCE problematic)
• Other records available 1. Oral traditions,
  2.Family histories, 3.Greek historians
• Record after 390 BCE more solid (annales maximi)
• Few extant Republican historical works survive
  most extant works date from the middle to late
  first century BCE

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Characteristics of Roman SocietyThe Republican
Period

• Early Republic division into Patricians and
  Plebeians then new nobility developed that
  included plebeians
• Elected magistrates 1. Quaestor, 2. Aedile, 3.
  Prateor, 4. Consul (originally only patricians),
  5. Tribune of the Plebs
• Conditions for holding public office
  1.Appropriate census rating, 2.Good lineage,
  3.Military reputation, 4.Public speaking skills
• Voting procedures weighted to favor the rich
  (Comitia Centuriata vs. Concilium Plebis)

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• By 2nd century popular politics become
  frequent (bypassing the Roman senate), continues
  to be significant during the Principate
• Republican system begins to break down
• 133 BCE 49 BCE Politics dominated by strong
  individuals with strong popular appeal
• 49-30 BCE Civil war and collapse of the
  Republic
• Public Spectacle a critical tool of politics

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Roman Imperialism

• Competing Theories Defensive vs. Aggressive
  imperialism
• Roman political system promoted militarism
• Bulk of Imperial expansion in Republican period
• By 338 BCE Neighboring Latins conquered
• 338 264 BCE Most of Italy under Roman control
• 264 241 BCE 1st Punic War Sicily acquired
  Corsica and Sardinia added by 238 BCE
• 218-201 BCE Second Punic War, Spain acquired
• 146 BCE North Africa and Greece
• 63 BCE Syria, Judaea, Pontus
• 58-52 BCE Gaul
• 30 BCE Egypt
• Plunder from conquests fed the development of
  Roman games

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Roman Festivals and EntertainmentsDuring the
Republican Period

• Roman games (ludi) tied to Roman religious
  festivals (feriae)
• Acts of thanksgiving to the gods for
  1.Fertility, 2.Victories, 3.Deliverance from
  crises, 3.Funerary
• Roman games characterized by spectacle
• No figure comparable to the Greek athlete in
  Roman games

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Context Occasions

• Military Triumphs
• Granted only if a minimum of 5000 of the enemy
  were killed
• Ludi magni votivi games vowed by generals to
  Jupiter before campaign
• Regular ludi votivi after 82 B.C. in honour of
  Sulla, after 46 B.C. in honour of Julius Caesar
  ludi Caesaris

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Roman Ambivalence Toward Greek Culture Scipio
Africanus in Syracuse 205 BCE

• It was asserted that he walked about the
  gymnasium in a Greek mantle and Greek slippers
  and spent his time amongst rhetoricians and
  athletes and that the whole of his staff were
  enjoying the attractions of Syracuse and living a
  life of similar self-indulgence and effeminacy.
  They had completely lost sight of Hannibal and
  the Carthaginians the entire army was
  demoralised and out of hand like the one
  formerly at Sucro or the one now at Locri, they
  were more dreaded by their allies than by the
  enemy. (Livy, 29.19.12-13. C. Roberts, 1912)
• http//etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed-
  new?idLiv4Histagpublicimagesimages/modengdat
  a/texts/english/modeng/parsed

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Types of Roman Games

• Ludi Circensis (Circus Games) Chariot races
  est. 616-579 BCE
• Munus/Munera Gladiatorial contests est. 264
  BCE
• Venatio Wild-Beast Hunt est.?

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Ludi Circensis

• Origins uncertain Evidence for Greek origins
  and Etruscan origins
• The Circus Maximus inaugurated by the Etruscan
  king, Tarquinius Priscus (619-579 BCE)

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Tarquinius Priscus and the Circus Maximus

• Tarquins first campaign was against the Latins.
  He captured Apiolae, and returned to Rome with
  more plunder than what report had led people to
  expect, he celebrated public games on a scale
  more elaborate and opulent than any of his
  predecessors. It was on this occasion that our
  Circus Maximus was originally planned. On the
  ground marked out for it special places were
  assigned to senators and knights to erect their
  stands in or decks as they were called. These
  decks were supported on props and raised twelve
  feet from the ground. Horses and boxers, mostly
  from Etruria, provided the entertainment. From
  then onward the games became an annual
  institution, and were called the Roman, or Greek,
  Games. (Livy. 1.35. A. De Selincourt, 1960)

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Circus Maximus
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/paula_c
habot/rome/pcrome.02.jpg
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/paula_c
habot/rome/pcrome.03.jpg
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Plan of the Circus Maximus
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/circusp
lan.jpg
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The Nature of Ludi Circensis

• Roman citizens watched the contests they did
  not participate
• Professional circuit with teams (factiones)
  Red, Green, White, Blue, developed ca. 200 BCE
• Games funded by state but factiones privately
  owned commercial operations
• Teams included 1.Drivers, 2.Sparsores watered
  the horses, 3. Hortatores called out race
  strategies
• The giver of the games is commemorated, not the
  victors

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The Circus Games of Scaurus 58 BCE
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/scaurus
chariotcoin.jpg
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Gladiatorial Games

• munus duty, tribute, obligation Not included
  in Ludi
• First gladiatorial combat held in 264 BCE by the
  sons of D. Junius Brutus in honor of their dead
  father
• Held in the Forum Boarium
• Paid for privately (editor), usually in a
  funerary context
• Private individuals could own troops of
  gladiators trained by the lanista (gladiator
  trainer)
• munera increase in frequency, organization,
  variety, and scale over time
• 216 BCE (22 pairs) 200 BCE (25 pairs) 183 BCE
  (60 pairs) By 65 BCE Julius Caesar planned a
  show of 320 pairs of gladiators
• Numbers and scale a direct consequence of Roman
  imperial expansion

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The Person of the Gladiator

• Typically a slave or prisoner of war or criminal
  condemned ad amphitheatrum
• Citizens participating as gladiators frowned upon
• Suffered from an ambivalent image - both
  pollution (infamis) and rock star Take an oath
  to be burnt, chained, and killed by an iron
  weapon
• Could survive to eventually win freedom

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Types of Gladiators

• Samnis armed with a rectangular shield, plumed
  helmet, 1 greave, (gladius) short sword
• Bustuarii
• Equites mounted gladiator clad in scale armour,
  helmet, lance, short sword
• Essedarii Chariot fighters
• Hoplomachi Armour, helmet, short sword,
  greaves, manica (arm guard), round shield
• Laquerarii Lasso fightes
• Murmillones Armour, gladius, helmet, grieves,
  manica
• Provocatores I grieve, manica, closed helmet,
  cardiophylax (breast-plate), rectangular shield,
  gladius
• Retiarii (Net Fighter) armed with net, dagger,
  and trident manica, galerus (shoulder-plate),
  otherwise naked
• Secutor (Pursuer) Similar to Murmillones
  always paired with retiarii
• Thraex (Thracian) Similar to hoplomachi small
  sqaure shield (parmula) short, curved sword
  (Sicca)

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The Samnis
www.mediterranees.net/.../Samnis.html
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Samnite and Hoplomachus1st century CE
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orlamp2.jpg
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Hoplomachus vs. Thraex
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageGreek_pottery_2
.jpg
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The Murmillon and the Hoplomachus
www.utexas.edu/.../img21murmhopactr.html
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Murmillon and Thracian
www.utexas.edu/.../img21murmhopactr.html
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Secutor and RetiariusThe Colchester Vase
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/colches
ter1.jpg
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Secutor and Retiarius
www.utexas.edu/.../img21murmhopactr.html
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Female Gladiators
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/gladiat
rices.jpg
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The Venatio

• Venatio Wild beast
• Bestiarius The beast-hunter
• Frequently held with munera
• Regular programme develops Venatio in the
  morning, Execution of criminals at noon,
  Gladiators in the afternoon
• Funded by a private editor had to arrange for
  the capture, transport, and maintenance of the
  animals

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Victorius Bestiarius 2nd Century CE
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5.jpg
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Animal Combats 3rd Century CE
http//www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/nenning
6.jpg
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The First Venatio? The Games of Marcus Fulvius
Nobilior (186 BCE)Livy 39.22.1-2

• Thenfor ten days and with a great show of
  wealth Marcus Fulvius Nobilior put on the ludi
  which he had vowed during the Aetolian War. Many
  actors came from Greece to pay honor to him. Then
  also for the first time an athletic competition
  was put on as a spectacle for the Romans, and a
  venatio of lions and panthers was also given, and
  the festival was celebrated almost as it is now
  with regard to the number and variety of events.
  (S.G. Miller, 1991)