Classical Studies 2300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ludus Magnus, Gladiator, Bestiarii
5 Apr 2016
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Morning - wild beast displays and wild beast hunts! Venationes: animals shot by ghters on horseback or in chariots (bestiarii)! Or the animals were pitted against other animals ! Domestic animals (deer, bears, boar, bulls) ! Exotic animals (lions, giraffes, elephants, panthers, hippos, apes) ! Animal shows part of aristocratic competition ! Young politicians on their way up (aediles), or to gain the favor of the emperor ! Ingenuity, wealth, generosity of the editor (man who pays to put on spectacle shows) ! The variety of animals demonstrates the editor"s overseas connections! Also = rome"s reach of conquest too ! Novelties became important in the later empire ! All this is abhorrent to modern sensibilities ! In rome the proper relationship between humans and animals is one of domination ! The ventationes signaled that the natural world is still under control ! (wiedemann p. 65) > could be on test: noxii: ! Cruelty of roman executions evokes modern repulsion !
