The Colosseum

The Colosseum or also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is probably one of the most outstanding structures of all over the Roman Empire.

                                         1. Colosseum

 One of the construction blocks shows that Romans had the means necessary to build such a monumental structure. The victory of the Jewish war financed the construction of the amphitheatre. The most common form of entertainment were the gladiatorial games. 

                                         2. Gladiators fighting

Experts say that the gladiatorial games were fair games where the loser was never killed during combat. Apparently, they received medical care if they had injuries. The only time gladiators were killed was when they were seriously injured to the point when they didn’t have a chance to survive. Romans probably believed that it would be better if the moribund gladiator was killed, otherwise, they would have had a slow and horrendous death. Some sources suggest that real life gladiators did not fight to kill. The audience and the organizers were the ones who decided if a gladiator should die or live. But some sources demonstrate that most gladiators got out alive.

Here are some of the games that took place in the amphitheatre:

·         Elephants vs. Rhinos

-          Prior to the reign of the emperor Claudius, there were some witnesses who recalled the fight between one elephant gauging the eyes out of the rhinoceros.

·         Titus’ epic naval battle

-          The colosseum was periodically flooded with water and filled with ships to simulate a naval battle.

                                         3. Naval battles at the colosseum

·         Commodus plays giant-slayer

-          He fought in the colosseum several times winning a series of confrontations. His most brutal display was when he tied up a number of citizens to kill them thinking they were giants.

Works cited:

Aicher, Peter J. Rome Alive: A Source Guide to the Ancient City. Edited by Keenan, Laurie Haight. Mundelein: Bolchazy-Carducci Piblishers, 2013.

History Today. Review of Murderous Games: Gladiatorial Contests in Ancient Rome, by Keith Hopkins. June 6, 1983. http://www.historytoday.com/keith-hopkins/murderous-games-gladiatorial-contests-ancient-rome

Mancini, Mark. “7 Astonishing Roman Coliseum Fights.” Mental Floss.  http://mentalfloss.com/article/53408/7-astonishing-roman-coliseum-fights

RaviliouS, Kate. “Gladiators Played by the Rules, Skulls Suggest.” National Geographic News. Accessed March 3, 2006. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0303_060303_gladiators.html

Images:  

1. http://www.legionxxiv.org/colosseum/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator#/media/File:Jean-Leon_Gerome_Pollice_Verso.jpg

3. https://earlychurchhistory.org/entertainment/naval-battles-in-the-colosseum/

Female Gladiators

There were female gladiators who fought in the arenas of the amphitheatres. These women were called Amazons or gladiatrices. 

                                                         1. A female gladiator called Amazon o gladiatrice

Romans were constantly looking for new things, and women having the role of gladiators caused unusual reactions among men. A rule of a typical gladiator consisted in fighting without an armor in the torso, which was seen as erotic and satiric. Gladiatrices wore different clothes than men during fights in the arena:

§  They did not wear helmets nor tunics, just a loincloth (subligaculum).

§  They wear an arm protector (called a manica)

§  They both hold a gladius (sword)

§  They both wear an Ocrea, or metal greave, on the lower leg

§  They hold a body shield called a scutum

Their armour was heavy and they did not wear helmets probably to distinguish them among the gladiators. The emperor Tacitus was the one who presented the gladiatrices and dwarfs to the arena.
Most gladiatrices were female slaves or family members who were seen as criminals or traitor’s relatives. For instance, the emperor Nero had the power to assassinate any senator offended him. He would then send the senator’s wife to the arena to either fight or be sentenced to death. There were however wealthy women who fought in the arenas to gain prestige, notoriety, and attention, but not for money because they already had. They had the right to fight as long as they had the permission of their male guardians.  

Works Cited:

Emilia, Maria. “Mujeres en la arena? Sí : Las gladiatrices también existieron.” El meme. Accessed December 12, 2015. http://elmeme.me/mexuy/mujeres-en-la-arena-si-las-gladiatrices-tambien-existieron_111403

Tribunes and Triumphs. “Female Gladiators: Amazons and Gladiatrices.” Accessed 2015. http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/gladiators/female-gladiators.htm

Owen, James. “Female Gladiators? Tantalizing New Evidence from Ancient Rome.” National Geographic News. Accessed April 21, 2012. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120419-female-gladiator-statue-topless-science-ancient-rome/

 Images: 

1. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120419-female-gladiator-statue-topless-science-ancient-rome/

Sex in ancient Rome

Where did ancient Romans go to have a holiday break from the busy streets of Rome? The answer is Pompeii. As we have seen before, Romans enjoyed living life with commodities and luxuries such as being entertained. There were a wide variety of things to do for visitors staying in Pompeii, and the most common form of entertainment that Romans preferred was having sex. They usually went to brothels called Lupanare which in Latin means the wolf’s den.

                                                      1. Typical brothel or Lupanare located in Pompeii

 The frescoes found in the structure often tell us that Romans really had fun in the huge resort of Pompeii since there were several brothels spread out they city. However, experts argue that the main purpose of the frescoes was to attract men into the brothels since the paintings were idealized pictures of people having sex in different positions and in a comfortable environment. 

                                         2. A fresco in one of the Lupanares showing idealized figures

The reality of having sex seemed a bit different. Some affirm that the service that prostitutes offered to men was quick, and there was not pleasure. In fact, prostitutes and the act of sex were seen as normal and nothing to be ashamed of in ancient Rome, except for adultery, which was heavily punished. Evidence that shows Romans were comfortable in such environments is found in the hundreds and hundreds of sculpture pieces that the ancient citizens possessed and the penis marks on the streets. These pieces depict penis forms in most of the sculptures, and most of them represent a symbol of fertility. 

                                         3. A penis carved in one of Pompeii's streets

                                                           4.

Works Cited:

Day, Michael. “Prostitution in Pompeii: 2,000 years after explosion, sex-for-cash is still rife.” Independent. Accessed November 16, 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/prostitution-in-pompeii-2000-years-after-explosion-sex-for-cash-is-still-rife-a6736826.html

 

Spiegel Online International. “Pompeii's Whorehouse: Erotic Murals Re-Exposed.” Accessed October 30, 2006. http://www.spiegel.de/international/pompeii-s-whorehouse-erotic-murals-re-exposed-a-445134.html

Williams, Craig A. Roman Homosexuality: Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999

Images:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupanar_(Pompeii)#/media/File:Pompeya_lupanar.jpg

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupanar_(Pompeii)#/media/File:Pompeii_-_Lupanar_-_Erotic_Scene_-_MAN.jpg

3. https://teacherjennie.com/tag/penis-in-the-stone/

4.  https://www.google.ca/search?q=penis+pompeii&biw=1920&bih=973&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0tomKsdPNAhWtpYMKHU1YB84QsAQIJg&dpr=1.33#imgrc=fVpO_gCBczJBFM%3A