Classical Studies 2300 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Tantrum, Secutor, Nika Riots
Document Summary
Munus (whether large or small) required elaborate preparation. Machinery and stage properties were part of the tradition of munera. It takes time for the editor to procure a worthy gladiator. Procrastination by the editor could lead to a cancelled show. Advertisement of upcoming show involved having professional painters paint announcements called edicta munerum ( announcements of gladiator shows") on the walls of houses and public buildings. Price of a seat never appears because almost all munera, whether in rome or in the rest of the empire, were given as gifts to the citizens by prominent members of the community. Information given by these edicta is presented in hierarchical form from more to less important. Gladiatorial combat as the main feature of the munus is always mentioned first after the name of the editor, but no individual names of the gladiators are given unless their fame made them an extraordinary attraction.