Ben Smith 5F JMB GCSE Classical Civilization

The only purpose of a day at the Colosseum was to

entertain the Romans.'
The Colosseum was originally opened in 50 AD and could
hold 50,000seated according to social status. It was a
masterpiece of construction, using all the latest
technology the Romans (including an enormous canvas
awning, manned by hundreds of sailors, to keep
spectators cool, and elaborate sprinkler systems for the
crowd). A highlight of seeing gladiators compete at the
Colosseum was the actual building, which would be very
impressive for an ordinary Roman citizen who would be in
awe at the sheer size alone.
Before the day of the show, advertisements would go up
all round town, announcing the entertainment. On the eve
of the show, gladiators would parade around the town,
and a feast would be provided for them and the public.
The following morning at the arena would begin with
religious ceremonies, followed by the entry of the
gladiators. Their weapons would be inspected to ensure
they were sharp enough, and then they would salute the
sponsor of the show, or the emperor, (if he was present).
Many groups viewed the activities in different ways. For
the masses (ordinary public) going to the games had
many psychological benefits. It satisfied their natural love
of violence and it also showed them how superior they
were as a race to the men who fought in the arena. Some
women saw the gladiators as an object of lust; some even
sought their sweat after the battles and used it in a face
pack as an aphrodisiac. The Christians were hostile to the
games as thousands of Martyrs were killed in the arena to
satisfy the blood lust. However, even the first popes kept
gladiators and increased the number of crimes punishable
by death in the arena. The Emperors would gain
tremendous popularity from putting on events, which
would hence strengthen their position in power.
Animals from all parts of the empire were captured alive
by Roman leaders (in areas such as Africa) who were relied
on by Roman politicians. It was a novelty factor to simply

Ben Smith 5F JMB GCSE Classical Civilization

see the animals, never mind the fact that they could
perform amazing tricks, which would be a great source of
entertainment for the public. The opportunity to see a vast
range of exotic animals including elephants, wolves,
leopards and boars would be special for the ordinary
public who wouldnt have any knowledge of their
existence before watching them in action. Bringing the
animals to Rome showed the Romans their skill in
conquering nature and the power of the shows sponsor
and/or Emperor.
Besides from the usual gladiators there were several other
types of gladiator to attain the crowds interest. Some
gladiators fought from chariots, whilst others would use
clubs. Children and women were forced to fight for novelty
value, and in what is described as humorous
entertainment, blind people were sent to fight each other.
On other occasions, gladiators might be forced to re-enact
scenes from military history entertainment. Another
unusual twist was to see a left-handed gladiator.
However the animals werent primarily used for the
entertainment of the masses, but also unarmed men were
sent into the arena to be ripped apart by wild animals.
These victims often included religious groups such as
Christians or criminals. To be killed by animals in the arena
was an official and legalized form of the death penalty.
Although they sought entertainment from this it provided
a purpose for punishments. This meant that they went to
precautions to ensure that these contests would be both
entertaining and one-sided. They made sure that the men
were unarmed, virtually naked. Then they would tie them
to stakes and wheel them into the path of the animals.
This showed how sadistic the Romans were since they
starved the animals before hand.
During a contest, when one gladiator was on the verge of
defeat, he would appeal for mercy. He would raise his
finger as an act of submission, and it would be up to the
sponsor of the show to decide whether he would have
been spared or not. The sponsor would be swayed by the
feelings of the crowd, as this would increase his
popularity, and shows were really only put on by

Ben Smith 5F JMB GCSE Classical Civilization

politicians to gain votes. It would be entertaining for the

crowd to participate in the event by deciding whether or
not the gladiator survived, it meant that they were in
some way taking on the role of the gods in choosing who
lives and who dies.
Even the death was carried out in an entertaining way.
After the final fatal blow had been delivered, two officials,
dressed in the costumes of Charon, the ferryman of the
Underworld, and Mercury would come out. The one
dressed as Charon would hit the dead man with a mallet
to ensure that he really was dead, and the one dressed as
Mercury would touch him with a red-hot poker, imitating
Mercurys wand.
One form of entertainment was the use of the gladiatorial
arena to stage sea-battles or naumachiae. They were only
put on very occasionally, and so had a novelty value, but
they were no less bloody than the normal shows in the
arena. Such shows would have been an enormous drain on
wealth, and would have been extremely difficult to
produce, but must have been enormously popular for
novelty value. They often, for extra entertainment value,
involved the re-enactment of a famous naval battle from
Roman history, with the participants killed in vast number.
To spice things up further, animals such as crocodiles
could be put in the water as a change to the usual big cats
in the arena.
Many Romans would have grown attached to particular
gladiators showing admiration for their fighting skills,
since they clearly loved keeping statistics of all the
gladiators.
Overall the day was designed to entertain the masses and
satisfy their blood lusts, but this was for the hosts own
political gain. Not only did it bring together the ordinary
public, it showed to the Romans the sheer strength of their
empire and the power of their presiding Emperor. It
demonstrated the lengths they were prepared to go to in
order to please their people, showcasing all kinds of exotic
animals from continents across their empire. Emperors

Ben Smith 5F JMB GCSE Classical Civilization

could gain tremendous popularity by constructing

amphitheaters and this was the reason Vespasian ordered
the construction of the Colosseum in AD 70. The shows
were also social occasions and not just a chance to seek
entertainment from violence. It gave the crowd a chance
to see the emperor or rulers. The ordinary people had little
direct contact with their rulers, so emperors would use
such occasions for self-publicity. The ordinary people used
these occasions to put requests to the emperors for lower
taxes, or more grain, as, not having the vote, they had no
say in the government of Rome.