Main Functions of the Games in Ancient Rome Essay

The gladiatorial games were an important part of the lives of those in Pompeii. But those in Herculaneum were most likely unable to enjoy the games as home as they did not have a place to hold them. Gladiators were POW’s, freedmen, criminals, slaves and some men who had fallen on hard times who would volunteer.

to gain( either financially or to aid the Roman community) from. Even leisure time was taken

A shift in the nature and purpose of Roman gladiatorial games occurred in 264 BC at the funeral of Roman consul Julius Brutus Pera. This fight was different because it was put on in the public eye. The fight was pitched at a public oxen market and featured three contests at the same time . This escalation of public appeal and increase in overall size of event marked an important shift from private display of honor and deference to public display of spectacle and entertainment. The practice of Roman gladiatorial games being used as public displays of wealth, power, and status was also born at the funeral of Brutus Pera, adding display of societal standing to the purpose of gladiatorial games. The demand for gladiatorial games rose sharply from this point forward, so naturally, Rome had to supply more of what the people were demanding.

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.

Entertainment was essential to daily life in Ancient Rome.  According to Juvenal1, it seemed that all Romans were interested in was "bread and circuses,"  and with theatres, amphitheatres, gambling, drama and public baths galore, the Romans never seemed to get bored.

The art I selected from the Roman Empire is the architectural structure of the Colosseum, or amphitheater. This structure reveals the importance that the Romans’ placed on entertainment, in so much that Benton and DiYanni indicate “it was official policy that the state should provide entertainment for the public” (Benton, DiYanni, p. 108). The relationship between the art and the culture is distinguished and represented by the size of the structure; it being able to accommodate such large crowds of people indicates that the Romans placed much importance in attending the entertainment provided. The Colosseum influenced the culture by providing ample space for everyone to enjoy entertainment. The culture influenced the art by supporting through attendance to the different entertainment during that time.

In Ancient Rome, however, sports weren’t safe at all. In the Colosseum, there were blood sports. These fights were to the death. Gladiator against gladiator, team against team, or gladiators against animals. If someone survived a round, there would be more enemies or animals to make sure they die.

The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became gladiators because of all the fame they got, and the prize if they survived, which was usually gold. Also,in the early years, when the Roman Empire would take over an area, they would take the people of that country and see if they were worthy enough to become gladiators. If the person was too weak, he would be slaughtered, but if they were worthy, they would be sent to gladiator school. The Romans would put the men into categories based on the armies the men were in. For example, the Samnite gladiator consisted of the men from Samnium. The At first, the games were for funerals, but they grew much bigger due to all the attention it got and became a much more popular game, which would be called the gladiator games. The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became

The Roman gladiator games were contests between a man and an animals before spectators and it was literally a fight for one's life, but not always. The Gladiator games are one of the most common and most popular information most people know about Ancient Rome. Romans let the animals starve to make them angry so they would fight better against the humans. The Roman Gladiators were usually men, although women fought too, it wasn't as common. They were often slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war.

They “lent a certain pseudo-religious air to the contests”. Since the Romans were so firm and committed to their religion, gladiator fights was an appropriate source of entertainment for

History shows competition in the form of war, games, and political ventures existed even in ancient times. The Roman Gladiators were a unique example of this competition during the Roman Empire. Through studying the gladiators one can see how the competition influenced politics, games, human lives and the culture. The term Gladiator comes from the term gladius after the Roman sword. They were mostly condemned criminals, prisoners of war and slaves.

There are several occurrences in the Roman Empire that is extremely ugly and bad, such as the games. In ‘The Games,’ there were Gladiators, which were slaves or criminals, who fought wild beasts against their death. In the Roman Empire, a form of entertainment was death and watching the slaves, or Gladiators, compete with other ferocious animals or men. In order for the animals to get vicious, they were starved and taunted. These spectacularly glory fights attracted a huge audience, who were often the key factor into deciding where the loser should live or die.

All of the tickets were free and the shows were funded by the state. It is unknown how the tickets were distributed, although it is estimated that one in twenty people in Rome could attend a single event, the upper class having the majority. The Colosseum held 3 types of entertainment, which made more enjoyable; Wild beast hunts started off every spectacle, followed by the execution of criminals during lunch break, ending with gladiatorial combat. There were also chariot races that were held at the circus, such as the Circus Maximus. These brutal races began in the mornings with a religious procession called the pompa circensis.

The emperors and the rich homeowners of Rome would choose their best slave to become a gladiator and fight in the arena. The masters of these slaves would train the gladiators to become better fighters, thus better representing the strength of their household. (Augustus) In the Capitol, if someone liked a contestant better than another, they would buy gifts to send in aid of the contestant. These people were called sponsors. The people of the Capitol would also place bets on the contestant they wanted to win. (Collins) Ancient Rome’s gladiatorial games shape how Collins wrote about the contestants and the role they played in the arena throughout her novel.

So things such as running, jumping, swimming, wrestling and boxing were all part of the Roman education system and were used for military preparation as well. There were also sporting events that the Roman Empire put on in honor of the gods they worshipped similar to that of the Greeks (Siedentop 24-25).