CAS CL 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Venatio, Awning

• School: Boston University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: CAS CL 102
• Professor: James Uden

Document Summary

264 bc: first gladiatorial combat of rome. Got pow"s to fight each other for important funeral. An etruscan religious ritual? (unlikely to be true b/c one source is bias) When they fight, they re-enact rome conquering them . 65 bc: first huge gladiatorial game for father"s funeral. Became a way for his political power to be shown. Augustus: instituted the emperor"s gladiators: administration community, the arena. Subsidized by the emperor or by the wealthy members of the. Tickets were free (distributed by patrons to their clients?) Show promoters scheduled when other show happened (touring) No corners for the people to be cornered into. Wooden floor w/ sand covering it to absorb blood. Tiered seating w/ an awning to protect from weather. Originally had 16ft bronze statues in the arches. Seating was done by guilds and social groups. Had hunting dogs almost like real hunt: the hunt (venatio) No zoos in rome, so you could see exotic animals.