CLASS 20B Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Flavian Dynasty, Venatio, Gladiator
5/3/18 - Lecture 10
The Colosseum & Gladiatorial Spectacle
Gladiators in the forum
- Amphitheater form appears first in S. Italy, much later in Rome
- Earliest Roman site: The Forum (through Republic)
- Held in political center of state (the Forum)
- “Funeral games” & triumphs until Augustus
- In honor of the deceased father
- Amphitheater = 2-sided theater (theater all around)
- Don’t call normal theaters an amphitheater
The Flavian Amphitheater
- “Colosseum”
- Constructed by Flavius Vespasian (AD 69-79)
- First emperor of the Flavian dynasty
- After civil war that followed Nero’s suicide
- Completed AD 80 as a victory-monument over Jewish rebellion
- NOT site of Nero’s persecution of Christians
- Celebration of the dynasty’s victory & their service to Rome
- Sacred site to Catholic-Christians
- Sanctified by the blood of the martyrs: Good Friday procession to the colosseum
- 150 ft high
- 3 levels of 80 arches
- Numbered entrances
- Statues filling arches (as seen on coin; arches were not empty)
- Next to the “Colossus” of Nero/Apollo
- Animal fights
- Named colosseum because the amphitheater was next to a colossal statue of Nero that
the Romans later redecorated to resemble Apollo
- Land where the amphitheater was built used to be dedicated to Nero’s golden palace
- The harena = “arena”
The Opening of the Flavian Amphitheater, AD 80
- Cassiu Dio’s history (Gauchospace)
- Martial, On the Shows
- 9000 wild beast fights (venatio)
- Women participated as well → women combat
- Carpophorus (on Gauchospace, Marial #32)
- Genocide of animals
- Animals won sometimes
- Rhinoceros, lions, bears
- Public executions
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Document Summary
Amphitheater form appears first in s. italy, much later in rome. Earliest roman site: the forum (through republic) Held in political center of state (the forum) Amphitheater = 2-sided theater (theater all around) After civil war that followed nero"s suicide. Completed ad 80 as a victory-monument over jewish rebellion. Not site of nero"s persecution of christians. Celebration of the dynasty"s victory & their service to rome. Sanctified by the blood of the martyrs: good friday procession to the colosseum. Statues filling arches (as seen on coin; arches were not empty) Named colosseum because the amphitheater was next to a colossal statue of nero that the romans later redecorated to resemble apollo. Land where the amphitheater was built used to be dedicated to nero"s golden palace. The opening of the flavian amphitheater, ad 80. Women participated as well women combat. People put in the arena to be torn apart by animals.
