Cruelty and Civilization : The Roman Games

ISBN-13: 9780415104524 / Angielski / Twarda / 1994 / 222 str.

Roland Auguet

Opis

This text argues that the great spectacles of Ancient Rome were not merely casual entertainment, but a public opiate. Every year, the Roman citizens relied on the games to provide excitement and to help them forget their lack of political power. In the course of endless festivals, highly organized productions were staged at vast expense, and Rome developed its own cult of the star. The text maintains that the champions of the arena, doomed to a bloody death, were the instruments of collective pleasure. Rather than simply reconstruct these spectacles, this study analyzes the emotions of the crowd and the motives of the rulers to explain why the games were so important in the life of the city

Spis treści

Introduction Roman Cruelty; Chapter 1 From Rite to Spectacle: The Gladiatorial Combats; Chapter 2 In the Arena; Chapter 3 The Hunts of the Amphitheatre; Chapter 4 Purveyors to the Carnage; Chapter 5 Chariot Races, Stables and Factions; Chapter 6 The Reign of the Star; Chapter 7 A Civilization Based on the Games; Chapter 8 The Ruins of the Circuses and Amphitheatres;

O autorze

Auguet, Roland