What Ancient Romans Did For Fun

The Roman gladiator captivated the masses and contributed to the very definition of ancient Rome. The consumption and coverage of football in America today is the modern equivalent to how gladiatorial games fit into the entertainment and overall culture of the ancient Roman world, with the gladiatorial games holding even deeper importance regarding spirituality. In a society built through the balancing of bloodshed and civility, the ancient Roman gladiator made his impact through spectacle by pure carnage. From 264 BC to AD 404, the Roman people were captivated by gladiators; their appeal remained constant through shifts in power and changes in overall purpose. The purpose of Roman gladiatorial combat went from being to honor the dead and

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.

Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, afraid of losing the next election, as a form of distraction created the gladiator games we know today. Aristocrats tried to fight for control of the government, forcing Caesar to increase the growth of gladiatorial games across the empire. Without the games Caesar would lose popular vote with the Plebeians, and larger aristocrats would try and seize power. The ancient Roman people had the thirst for blood the only thing stopping them from rioting, gladiators. If the emperor could bring them joy he would a savior to them, but if local aristocrats put on the games then each state would think their governor stronger than the emperor. The plebeians made up about ninety-five percent of the population of Rome which meant that

In the ancient Olympic Games, there were only six different events to compete in. The original events were boxing, pankration, wrestling, running, equestrian and the pentathlon (Top End Sports). The first event ever held was the “stade” which is a 192-meter foot race. A cook named Coroebus won it becoming the first Olympic champion.

The culture of Ancient Rome had a distinct way to entertain its citizens. Besides spending times at the baths, Romans found pleasure and delight in the games held at the local coliseum. These games were among the bloodiest displays of public amusement in the history of man. Professional wrestling and boxing today, do not come close to the disgusting horrors that the people of Rome took so much pleasure in observing. Although the games were very bloody and extremely brutal, often killing many men and animals, the Romans enjoyed the scenery of life and death being very near. Watching men fight and eventually die a dreadful death, is what fascinated the Roman population in great degree as the games

The gladiators were a popular sport in Ancient Rome. Starting as a ritual performed at funerals that were for the purpose of giving the deceased attendants for the afterlife. Though as time went on, fights became larger and more for entertainment then for funerals. Many gladiators that were used were unfree criminals, slaves, war prisoners, and sometimes even free men and rarely, women until they were later banned from participating. These games were often very large ceremonies that happened only a couple of times a year that would last days on end. Many people would set up shops outside the colosseum with food, drinks, and other goods. They would usually start with a procession of the combatants and the sponsors of the games during the morning

The racers were divided into four different teams, called “factions” (factiones). These were coloured and their names came from the colours themselves: the Greens, the Reds, the Blues and the Whites. The green and blue factions were the most powerful, and later on in the empire, they absorbed the other two into their ranks. The factions were not just racing teams, they also had political influence. Most Roman citizens became racing fanatics, supporting one of the factions. Some citizens even resorted to magic to foul their opponents, showed

Starting in 105 BC the Roman government began to provide the Roman people with a new form of entertainment. This new entertainment was the Roman gladiatorial games. The games not only served as an interesting past time, but also as a political ploy to gain citizen support, pay tribute to Roman gods, and feed the human craving for death and destruction. The Roman citizens saw the games as a way to improve social status, gain wealth, and provide punishment for those who deserved a cruel death. Gladiatorial games were therefore predominately supported by Roman society with the exception of Christians and a select number of philosophers. Though the philosophers and Christians objected to the games on the same grounds, the philosophical

Ancient Rome, during the rule of Emperor Claudius, had its height of secular power in aspects such as leisure activities and forms of entertainment that seem barbaric to us today. One example is the gladiators. During ancient Rome society, their gladiatorial games were an important part of their culture and the most public entertainment, taking place in the colosseum. Although their barbaric actions were compelling to watch, for the gladiators, it was a harsh way to live. Through becoming a gladiator, fighting and personal experience from Spartacus, gladiators had to face many hardships during ancient Rome.

During the Roman Times from (31 BCE to 476 CE) sports were both things that many did in their daily life and as well as Roman Fighting games. Not all Roman games were violent and played by men. Many Roman kids would swim, ride horses, hunt and fish, play board games during their leisure time. Sports were very important to the Romans because some had a religious meaning to them.

As the games grew larger certain events were given in honor of individual Olympian gods and godesses. The sport that most pleased Zeus, for example, was the Pankration. The Pankration was the true test of a man. It was a mixture of boxing and wrestling, and to compete you had to be good at both events. There were rules, but not many. For example, you couldn't gouge your opponent's eyes, ears, or nose with your hands, but the fighting continued until someone was unconscious. The Greeks beleived it pleased the mighty Zeus that men were willing to beat themselves up just to please him.

by the speed of the horses or the skill of the drivers, this would not

While there are clear contrasts between the ancient and the modern Olympics there is still the respect for the athlete striving to perform at the highest level. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest carnival of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are displays of nationalism, commerce, and politics. These important elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention, as the first Olympics was in 776 BC in Ancient Greece. After 1503 years, in 1896 the Olympic Games were recreated as what we know today. The Ancient Games were once dedicated to the Olympian God, Zeus Olympios and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, which is also how the word ‘Olympics’ originated from. The modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event, which feature both summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of respectable athletes from over 200 different nations compete against one another. There are clear contrast between the modern and ancient forms of the Olympic Games regarding uniforms, participants, religion, events, politics and the concept of amateurism. However both the Ancient Greeks and the people in the modern world still respect and admire the athletics achievements of the participants making the Olympics the most highly regarded contest in sport.

Introduced in around 250BC, gladiators were well-trained individuals who fought against each other to entertain the civilians of Rome. The gladiators fought in the Colosseum, which had a height of about 160 feet and capacity of up to 50,000 people. The Colosseum was also designed to be able to flood and hold ships. The term gladiator comes from the Latin word: "gladius" meaning sword. The profession of being a fighter brought great fame to the individual. The theme of death brought people together to see many young men die in battle. The crowd loved vicious shows that were gory and gruesome. Many gladiators who fought in the Colosseum went on to become tremendous war heroes, due to the intense training provided by the emperor. Gladiators always wore clothing that resembled other nations that the Roman army seized. They were also given unorthodox weapons to fight with and their battles usually illustrated famous ones fought by the Roman army. Sometimes, the ‘damnati ad mortem’, individuals who committed ruthless crimes, went into the arena without a weapon. Gladiators were mostly captives of war or slaves of the rich. Some people saw the fighting as a hobby and spent much time and money picking and choosing from the best of the gladiators. A fanatic of fighting was called a "lanista", or an owner of gladiators. Keeping these gladiators in good health became very expensive over time. Different gladiators were allowed to use different weapons based on their past life. For

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).