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Roman sports
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The Circus Maximus was the first and most prevalent stadium in ancient Rome. Latin for “greatest circus”, the Circus Maximus served as a stadium for entertainment, especially chariot racing. Being located amongst the Palatine and Aventine hills, it measured 621 meters by 118 meters, and seated around 150,000 onlookers. The Circus Maximus would become the exemplary venue for entertainment and circuses throughout the entire span of the Roman Empire (Humphrey 216).
The Circus Maximus was the principle locale for ludi, civic competitions associated with the religious festivals of Rome. Ludi were subsidized by the state of Rome to benefit the people and the gods. Most ludi occurred once a year, however ludi could be held in order to fulfill a religious oath or in celebration of Roman triumphs. The first ludi held due to a Roman triumph at the Circus Maximus occurred when Tarquin vowed a ludi to Jupiter after the Roman’s triumph over Pometia. Ludi fluctuated from one day to several days, with religious ceremonies and community banquets, chariot racing, athletic competitions, plays, and gladiator competitions. The larger ludi would begin with an ostentatious parade called pompa circensis, which presented the participants and pronounced the purpose of the ludi (Humphrey 66-67). As Rome became larger, new ludi were conceived by political figures who wanted support from the people. Through the later times of the Republic, ludi were held 57 days each year (Bunson 246). The republic’s end caused the emperors of Rome to meet the rapidly growing demand for consistent ludi and the necessity for further specialized venues. The Circus Maximus would eventually become the principle venue for chariot racing in Rome. After the coliseum was built ...
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...al cult of Rome. During the imperial era of Rome, Apollo was the patron of the Circus Maximus and all of its games and festivities. Part of the reason for this was that Apolloa was the ultimate charioteer, who would drive his chariot led by four horses, called a quadriga, through the heavens from sunrise all the way to sunset. The moon goddess drove a biga, which was a chariot driven by two horses. These two divine beings symbolized the systematic and predictable movement of the cosmos and time, which was used as an analogy for the track of the Circus (Sorabella 75). Built much before the shrine of Apollo, the temple dedicated to Luna was destroyed the catastrophic fire that hit the Circus in 64 CE, and was not likely replaced. After her temple wasw destroyed, her cult was likely moved to Apollo’s temple, or besides it, exposed to the sky above (Humphrey 63-64).
Main Functions of the Games in Ancient Rome The 2 main kinds of games that took place in ancient Rome were those of ludi scaenici (theatre and plays) and those of ludi circenses (sports). This evaluation of Roman games will concentrate on the sports side of Roman entertainment due to their much higher popularity i.e. chariot racing and the gladiators. Chariot racing is one of the oldest spectator sports in Rome dating back to at least 6BC. The races started to celebrate religious festivals, the very first recorded one was the festival of to consus, this festival known as the Consualia was celebrated on the 21st August in Rome, which happened to be the local Derby Day, the main event of the racing calendar. The underground granary where the shrine to
The Circus Maximus was a large place in Greece. The Circus Maximus was a horse chariot race running around a track. Almost like our NASCAR races today, these races where the biggest attraction in the day of the Greece. The citizens were greatly involved in the racing of the Circus Maximus.("Circus Maximus princeton.edu") Because so many people were involved with these races, they had to find a way to seat all of these people. ("Circus Maximus aviewoncities.com”) This was the first time they invented stadiums. There were also other events held in the Circus Maximus. These events were held for a long time and were eventually ended around 549 BC. The Circus Maximus reflected the values of ancient Rome for entertainment and competition in ancient Roman culture.
Rome’s most famous landmark, Colosseum is a large Amphitheatre that could hold up to 50,000 people seated, which is located in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was used as a royal treat, entertainment where gladiators would fight with wild beast in front of people, animal hunt, theatre performances and public executions for public entertainment and also the King himself. Most of the public event was held at Colosseum. The Roman Colosseum was built between 69 to 79 CE by the Vespasian emperor.
The citizens of Rome loved to go to these bloody warfares. In the city of Rome, these events were held in the Colosseum. An arena so large that it could hold 50,000 spectators and host fights between men and animals.
...m. This huge circular arena was the pinnacle of the Roman Gladiatorial games, and though it isn't fully intact, it is a great reminder of ancient culture. Though today these games seem inhumane and unnecessary, to their ancient culture it was a vacation from everyday stress. Even the Emperor was said to understand that though money and grain would satisfy and individual, large spectacles were necessary for the contentment of the masses' (wes civ).
held in what was called The Circus Maximus. The chariot races held in the Circus Maximus were
There were four different genres of such entertainment in the games held in amphitheatres (Amphi-theatres are outdoor arenas. "theatres in the round": Amphi- meaning "round" in Greek.) : Gladiatorial combat, the theatrical execution of foreigners, beast shows, as well as chariot racing. Watching someone or a beast kill another was applauded for the method, skill, or artistry used in the slaughter. The games themselves provided ways for Rome to demonstrate the power of their empire, as huge investments of wealth, time, and emotion was put into the games. Death became a spectator sport with the viewers and the viewed both contributing to a wild and gory performance. Already by the late Republic magistrates were spending huge amounts of money on these games. The Latin word for gladiatorial games is Munus which means obligatory offering. This reflects the origin of these games as funerary offerings to the dead. While magistrates in the Republic may well have put on games to gain popular favour, this was in their private capacity and not as magistrates. Only gradually did the gladiatorial shows come to be assimilated with the games put on by magistrates.
Bibliography: "life and leisure in ancient Rome", "On the Starting Line with Ben Hur: Chariot-Racing in the Circus Maximus" and "Daily life in Ancient Rome". Web pages used are below. http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~snlrc/encyclopaedia_romana/circusmaximus/circusmaximus.html http://www.novaroma.org/ludi/html/history.html
During the middle and late third century, the Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public.
Fantasy literature has always idolized by the classic gothic elements. It is simple in most works to find such themes within the genre of mythical storytelling. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, is a novel that contains several gothic elements within its chapters; these include blood, death, and entrapment. The “Masque of Red Death,” by Edgar Allen Poe, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” by Washington Irving, and the “Feather Pillow,” by Horacio Quiroga, are more examples of stories that also include a specific unique element within each of their original lores. In fact, within Morgenstern, Poe, Irving, and Quiroga’s gothic pieces, certain gothic elements can be compared and are emphasized: Death,
Each show was kicked off with the pompa – a morning procession that occurred during several other public events in Rome – led by the editor’s standard-bearers. Following the pompa was the venation...
Also, the Romans built their first temple in honor of Apollo.
THE Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in ancient Rome built for chariot races. They were extended precincts in which the public games were held, consisting of both chariot races and gladiator fights. It could seat 250,000 to 300,000 spectators. Less violent than gladiator battles, the chariot races were still extreme and dangerous. Decorative sculptures were tilted to let spectators know how many laps had already been completed in the race.
The Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is perhaps the most famous ancient landmark in the world. The Colosseum was the host to thousands of gladiatorial shows, mock naval battles, executions, and animal hunts. Today, the Colosseum still stands in the center of Rome, Italy, however, not quite as it used to be. Still, today, the Roman Colosseum is a large tourist attraction, thousands of tourists from all over the world still come to view this marveled arena. The Roman Colosseum has a rich history, and remains a prized possession of the Roman citizens.
The first day of the competition is devoted to religious celebrations and reenacting the epic fights between Apollo and the Python, by sacrificing animals. The second day was devoted to feasting on those sacrificed animals, which created a sense of community among the participants. The third day began the competition with music and dance by portraying various poetry and drama’s. Athletic competitions began on the fourth day, which consisted of foot races, boxing, wrestling, and pentathlon. The fifth day of the festivals revolved around the chariot and horse races. The winners of these competitions would receive a laurel wreath, made by the boy who played Apollo in the reenactment (Miesfeldt, n.d.). These games helped establish Delphi as the center place prior to the Olympic games (Miesfeldt, n.d.).