Spectacle in the Roman World

Description

Gladiatorial combat, animal displays, naumachiae (staged naval battles) and spectacular executions were all an important part of Roman culture. The provision of a wide range of purpose-built buildings (from theatres to amphitheatres to circuses) as venues across the empire is testimony to the popularity and significance of these displays. This book offers an introduction to the main forms of spectacle in the Roman world (human and animal combat, chariot racing, aquatic displays), their nature, context and social importance. It will explore the vast array of sources, from literary to archaeological material, that informs the subject. It will examine the spectacles with special emphasis on their physical setting, and will also consider the variation in the provision of venues and their context across the Empire. A final section will review the modern reception of Roman spectacles, especially those involving gladiators.

Hazel Dodge is Louis Claude Purser Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology, Trinity College Dublin, and author (with Peter Connolly) of The Ancient City (1998).

Spectacle in the Roman World provides what the Classical World Series sets out to do, namely, giving beginner students an introduction to a central Roman topic. Its strengths are the inclusion of areas beyond the city of Rome and the discussion of all types of sources. Hopefully, Spectacle in the Roman World will encourage students to understand that buildings, texts, archaeological material and inscriptions together can provide a fuller picture of ancient cultural contexts. -- Ida OEstenberg, University of Gothenburg * Opuscula * This new introduction by Dodge is a welcome addition. The compact form and precise scope make Spectacle in the Roman World a handy guide for a reader with little or no Latin, and only elementary knowledge of ancient Rome. -- Kalle Knaapi * Arctos *