Spectator Sports in Ancient Rome

...

sentence criminals to death by fight as a gladiator. Pop culture made it seem gladiator fights are either an one vs one, small teams or a free for all with no more than twenty gladiators. In the book The Classical World an Epic History of Greece and Rome it States that there was once “eighteen gladiatorial shows which had involved 10000 men” pg. 464, if 10000 men did participate that means each battle would have to had around 550 gladiators each. Gladiators became almost like your local sports where “gladiators were associated with a province’s cult of the emperor as a god” pg. 465. There was some upside to being a gladiator you were allowed to keep prizes or gifts given to you during the games, there was glory if you emerged victorious and if you were a slave or criminal fighting you could win your freedom. Men were not the only people who were gladiators occasionally as well North African children also competed in the “‘all-blacks’” pg.469 game which also had women compete in those battles. With interest in gladiator battles growing emperors started gladiator schools where they trained the gladiators they owned, this is very similar to development systems in many sports today. Gladiator sports were not loved every where in Rhodes the greeks decided they wanted nothing to do with gladiator battles and refused to host any battles. People were not happy when ‘free’ people started becoming gladiators, the people becoming gladiators were usually ex-soldiers trying to pay off debts. Not anyone could be a gladiator if you where a senator or knight or even in the family of a senator or knight you were not forbidden from being a actor or gladiator, this ban did not last forever and was eventually lifted. Gladiators where a hit in Roman times and continue to be a hit till this day.

Question: How were these different from classical greek public entertainment

In ancient Greece and Rome plays were extremely popular but they were a bit different Roman plays were split up into two main categories drama and comedy where Greek plays were split up into three tragedy, comedy and satyr. Roman comedies were almost all based off Greek originals and subjects. Roman dramas were more varied, comprehensive and elaborate than there Greek counterpart. In Greek theater they were much stranger before some tragedy plays they would sacrifice a goat to Dionysus. Dionysus was a big part of Greek plays, in Athens they had the festival of Dionysus which included comedy, dances and songs. no one is exactly sure what the music sounded like in but we do know they played harps, pipes and other hand-made instruments. The Roman instruments were more advanced, one instrument that sticks out is the Roman tuba which was a long shape like a trumpet made out of bronze it also had a detachable mouthpiece that is very similar to a modern French horn. The Romans also adopted their own version of the Greek harp which the Romans called a lyre, it was smaller than the harp and used animal bones and skin instead of wood. Other differences came in the Romans liking to gory games they were well known for their gladiators and the bloody hunts they hosted and spectated. The Greeks were not angels on any level but they were no where close to scale of the Roman events some Greeks refused gladiator sports entirely, like the Greeks on Rhodes. Overall the Romans entertainment was not extremely different from the Greeks because they did adopt and evolve a-lot of the Greeks entertainment.

...