Hum/205 Week 3 Assignment: Classical Societies Essay

The Flavian Amphitheater, now known as the Colosseum, is a large amphitheater created in 80 CE by emperors Vespasian and Titus. The amphitheater was a state-of-the-art facility with a floor area (known as the arena) able to handle “elaborate hunts of exotic wild animals such as giraffes and elephants.” (Textbook 265) The arena could also be filled with a large amount of water to stage battles between opposing fleets of ships. The amphitheater was also home to fights between well trained men who were usually warriors captured in battle, forced to fight each other, wounding or killing for the enjoyment of huge crowds of exited spectators. The barbaric and brutal showed the less civilized side of the culture of philosophy. This structure is significant

Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And

For as long as humans have existed, they have always found some way to entertain themselves. Even the earliest societies have left evidence of some sort of activity or hobby that they used as a form of entertainment. Perhaps the most famous building that was used as a form of entertainment is the Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater. In ancient Rome, the most popular form of entertainment was the gladiator fights. These fights, usually among animals and trained public fighters, were staged in open arenas in a city's forum. There is evidence

In ancient Greece, around 500 B.C.E, the culture was revolving around gods and goddesses. The lifestyles and actions of the people of Greece had an interdependence with the common belief of Hellenism. By understanding that many Greeks looked to their gods and goddesses in most aspects of their life, we can better understand how Greek culture worked as a whole. This can be seen specifically in Athens Greece. In Athens they looked to the Goddess Athena in particular because she was their patron Goddess. During this time a sculptor, named Phidias, sculpted a grand statue called the Athena Parthenos. The Athena Parthenos was viewed as an actual incarnation of the Goddess Athena, and symbolize victory in wars that ultimately create peace and harmony.

Thesis: The Greek influence of outstanding culture, gods, and their beautiful art to the Romans’ they took this inspiration on to their own creation. Both ancient build devotion to their gods they would bring the most precious things to them temples, however, they would focus on making large empire to rule and to take control of their city-states.

The cultural of the Roman Empire was a melting pot of the religious and cultural influences of the conquered societies that had been assimilated into the Empire. The various religions and cultural practice created a complex pantheon of “gods.” Ever larger temples and statues were erected to bring glory and honor to cities and give honor the Emperor. Additionally, cities would host gladiatorial games to bring honor to the Emperor. These events and building projects were facilitated by those who sought to bring greater glory and honor upon themselves with Roman society.

Thanks to the various sources and the multiple mediums through which they are presented we have learnt much about this aspect of Roman entertainment. Frescoes, mosaics, writings, graffiti, buildings, artefacts (gladiator's helmet, weapons, etc), inscriptions, reliefs and even bodies all reveal details of the many different facets and experiences of this ancient entertainment. We now know who went, what and who the entertainment was, and even the stories of the ancient Pompeians and reconstruct a variety of experiences. This source is a archaeological treasure as unlike others it did not deteriorate from non-use or knocked down, it was frozen on a typical roman day and has thus remained. It is also significant as we can compare this evidence to similar items of evidence from all over Rome and deepen our understanding of the life of the ancient Romans.

and opinions about life each and every day. Various gods ruled these different city states.

Throughout this report, the uses and the importance that the arena had on Roman society will be discussed as well as the various factors in which it was allowed to do so. Using historical documents and sources the goal is to inform the reader in why the arena was so important to Roman society. The Colosseum, known as the Flavian Amphitheater and located just east of the Roman forum, is a massive stone arena that was commissioned around A. D. 70-72 by Emperor Vespasian. The iconic arena would not have been as popular as it is today if it wasn’t for the gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights which took place. The arena had a very important role in Roman society having a huge influence on the political side of Rome; the social ranking system and it gave the people a source of entertainment.

Entertainment in Roman society, specifically in Pompeii and Herculaneum, was very significant, which can be seen in the large number of buildings in both of these towns that serve the purpose of entertaining the Roman citizens. One of the most notable of these buildings was the Amphitheatre in Pompeii, as it one of the earliest built Roman amphitheatre and is one of the oldest that still stands today. From paintings, such as source A, a Fresco painting found in the house of Actius Anicetus, it can be made clear that gladiatorial matches were held in the amphitheatre in Pompeii, which was a main source of entertainment for the people of the time. The matches in the amphitheatre were largely popular, as it accommodated the people of all classes, with 35 rows of seating, being able to hold 20,000 people, which can be seen in the remaining structure of the building today, as it was so well preserved, even during the eruption of Vesuvius in

In 27 BC Augustus began his political career with a “new policy which embodied a national and Roman spirit” (Galinksy, 1996, 225) and “represented new heights in creativity and sophistication” (Galinksy, 1996, 225). Augustus created a new political propaganda campaign that used art and architecture to promote and enhance his regime. The most fundamental message can be regarded as to establish the legitimacy of his rule and to portray him as the natural successor of Rome, as this is consistently presented throughout the visual programme. Yet factors such as the restoration of the Republic, reviving the old religion, nationalism and militaristic triumph can also be seen to be communicated prominently through art and architecture.

Barringer questions what these athletes would have seen when looking at these massive works. She raises questions regarding what the myths depicted and conveyed back to them and what meaning and purpose did the patrons of the temple intend. The article surges us back to the present day and discusses how the architectural remains of the Temple of Zeus may leave it quite difficult for the imagination to conjure up the likeness of the once massive architectural spectacle. Though the sculptures remain in good condition they still received intense scrutiny from early scholars. Barringer rears a good point on how these scholars would treat these sculptures and pediments as not only separate entities from each other but all together separate from the activities that took place at Olympia. The author states that her point for writing this article is to show that these sculptures should be read as a whole meaningful ensemble coinciding within and with Olympia and the famous Olympic Games by looking not only at the Temple of Zeus itself or

‘The Colosseum’ is regarded as one of the best work of the Rome architecture and engineering. It is situated in the centre of the city of Rome in Italy and is also known by the name of ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’ (Origins of the Colosseum, 2015). ‘The Colosseum’ is considered as one of the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire and also in the world. The building of ‘The Colosseum’ is highly impressive and is an important landmark for signifying the past history of Roman culture. The amphitheatre

“Once the Colosseum had been built, it seems to have become the model for many, if not most, of those that followed” (Hopkins and Beard 2005, 24). The Colosseum stands proudly upon the villainous Emperor Nero’s once grand Valley of the Golden House, projecting the munificence of Imperial Roman Architecture. Its ultimate design could be said to be formed through purpose or function. However, this does not do justice to the importance of architecture within Roman society (Thornton and Thornton in Lyes 1999, 2). The functions, whether it be religious or otherwise, of the Colosseum were irrelevant to the ultimate design of the architecture, as the architectural features contained within the Colosseum’s ultimate design created an “instant archetype, a marker of ‘Romanness’ across the empire” (Hopkins and Beard 2005, 25). The clever use of the classical orders and façades, and adaptation of existing Roman architecture of the period allowed the Colosseum to become a model for many subsequent Roman amphitheatres, whilst showing the ingenuity of Roman architecture of the period.

When at its height, the Roman Empire spanned a great expanse of land. It would be logical to assume that the outermost provincial lands had their own cultures and traditions, and thus their own art, yet this is not entirely true. Art and architecture from the Provinces of the Roman Empire are astoundingly similar to art and architecture from the most central portion of Rome. The Amphitheater of El Djem is one of those architectural pieces that both embraces Roman ideals and pays homage to local customs. It does this through the architectural design, the building method, the purpose of the building, and the integration of more local aspects in the building.