Roman Colisuem

The Games of the Coliseum
Grant Maywood
VSC 160
11/26/12

Throughout history, mankind has witnessed many different events and acts that have either made us feel happy, joyful, inspired, or horrified and disgusted. There are only a few, however, that are as historically significant as the games of the Roman Coliseum.
In 70 AD, Emperor Vespasian wanted to create a magnificent structure that reflected his great power, and for the amusement of his people. This magnificent structure was called the Flavian Amphitheatre, commonly known today as the Roman Coliseum. Vespasian died before the structure was completed. His son, and new Emperor, Titus, oversaw the completion of the structure in 80 AD (scared-destinations.com, 1). Several natural disasters, including the eruption of Mount Vesuvivus, fires in Rome, and a devastating outbreak of the plague caused a delay in the grand opening celebration. When Titus was finally able to christen the Coliseum, he organized a 100 day celebration which included a variety of games which included gladiator fights, dramas based of classic mythology and animal hunts. It has been reported that over 11,000 animals and as many gladiators were killed during this celebration. Entry into the games was free to all citizens of Rome so it was very common than many in the audience were the lower class Romans and peasants (Mann, 1). The events that were the most popular were gladiator fights, wild beast hunts, and sea battles.
Gladiatorial battles or” Munera”, which is what they were known by in Ancient Rome, were very gruesome, bloody, and inhumane. Yet the Romans loved the gruesome entertainment. The most popular were man on man battles. Gladiators enhanced the experience by taking on a violent persona with their choice of armor and what type of deadly weapon they choose to wield at their opponent. Their weapons varied from basic swords to tridents. For example, an Andebate gladiator had mail armour on their limbs and lower torso, plate armour on their chest and back, and a large vizored helmet with eyeholes (famouswonders.com, 1) . The crowd even sometimes got to decide what the fate should be for the fallen gladiator. If a gladiator has been wounded and can no longer fight, the Editor or President of the events, which was usually the emperor, would listen to the chants and see the audience wave. The Emperor would indicate the fate of the Gladiator using a simple hand gesture. An upraised thumb indicated that the man would live, and a thumb down signaled the other gladiator to kill him (famouswonders.com, 1). Chariots were also a common incorporation in the battles. Riding the chariots would usually be bowmen shooting arrows at the enemy gladiators. This gave the archers an advantage due to the fact they are moving very fast so it is hard for a standing gladiator to reach him. The use of shields was vital to gladiators to defend from incoming attacks and some could actually be used as a weapon. Some shields had blunt weapons attached to the front of them so that the gladiator could defend from an incoming strike and then quickly strike the opponent with the shields causing significant damage (famouswonders.com, 1). These battles were entertaining to a large part of the population of Rome, however some people were against the killing of human beings and preferred to see animals killed instead.
The Wild Beast Hunts, or Venationes, were very intriguing as well as entertaining to the crowds seated in the Coliseum. Wild beasts such as, tigers, lions, panthers, bulls, rhinoceroses, elephants, were used as combatants (Mann,1). The use of the more ferocious animals, like the tiger, was not used until a fence was built along the lower rows to avoid the potential for attacks on the spectators. The main inclusion of the animals was for gladiatorial purposes. During some events, they would place the animals in hidden trap doors that were opened, releasing the animal, and surprising the gladiators. This form of intimidation played a huge factor in these games, and was used to heighten the gruesome entertainment quality of these games. Obviously, animal cruelty was rampant during this time. The animals were starved prior to their release in the arena to increase their hunger for flesh. Just slaughtering the beasts quickly was not what the Romans had in mind. The “pole arm” was the preferred weapon of choice when defending against a vicious animal in the ring (Mann, 20). The Pole arm is a long spear that can be thrown to attack the beasts from a distance. Emperor Nero actually went into the arena and faced a lion himself once. The lion had been made harmless with severe bodily damage in order to insure his victory, but the crowd still cheered his name.
Animal versus animal games were also popular with the ancient Romans. These fights usually took place in the morning hours. The day began with an amusing parade of animals from giraffes, crocodiles, and hippopotami. The animals were sometimes dressed in clothing to mimic humans. The day then progressed to the “Venationes” which were the actual animal fights. There are many mosaics and paintings that show some of these forms of entertainment. There is a fable that reports a fight between an elephant and a bull. It is said that after the elephant tore apart the bull, it bowed before Titus out of respect for his power. The animal trainers were an integral part of these games. Most lived in fear that their beast would fail to perform, and would subsequently be killed as punishment. Many trainers were mauled and killed by their own vicious animal. This was indeed a dangerous form of work.
There are some unsubstantial accounts of sea battles in the great Coliseum. It has been said that Titus actually flooded the arena with water and built ships in order to simulate a battle of the high seas. It was written that In order to flood the structure, a tunnel had to be built all the way to Lake Fucine and the Liris River (Lynn, 5). Whether the location was in the Coliseum itself, or in Lake Fucine, extravagant sea battles did indeed occur. Most of these were re-enactments of “naumachiae”, or famous water battles. Of course, these were “fight to the death” type of events, which fueled the bloodthirsty crowd. The Roman Coliseum is a magnificent example of ancient architecture and Roman engineering. It is historically important for this reason, but also for the games held within it that give us an insight into ancient Roman culture. It’s beauty notwithstanding; it was used for horrifying events and spectacles, and is remembered for the gruesome events that occurred within its massive walls. It has now become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. It has also become a symbol of the movement to outlaw the death penalty. In support of this cause, the Roman government has changed its nighttime lighting from white to gold whenever an execution is committed anywhere in the world.

Work Cited

1. http://famouswonders.com/roman-gladiators/ 2. Sacred Destinations [Internet].
Oregon; Available from: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-colosseum 3. Illustrated History of the Roman Empire [Internet].
[Cited 15 October 2008]; Available from http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-games.html 4. Mann Elizabeth, Racz Michael. The Roman Coliseum. Rome (Italy): History; 1998 5. Kuntz Lynn. The Roman Coliseum. Gale: History; 2004

Cited: 15 October 2008]; Available from http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-games.html 4. Mann Elizabeth, Racz Michael. The Roman Coliseum. Rome (Italy): History; 1998 5. Kuntz Lynn. The Roman Coliseum. Gale: History; 2004