Beyond the Arena
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Hammond Honors Thesis in Classics Beyond the Arena: A Literary and Epigraphic Study of 1st Century Conceptions of Gladiators Honors Thesis in Classics Washington and Lee University Perry Burks Hammond May 1, 2018 1 Hammond Honors Thesis in Classics Table of Contents Preface ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter I: SPICVLVS................................................................................................................... 5 The Rise ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Spiculus and Columbus ........................................................................................................................... 9 The Fall .................................................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter II: Trimalchio’s Obsession with Gladiators in Epigraphic Art Forms is not Coincidental in the Literary Genius of Petronius .................................................................... 12 Cena Trimalchionis in The Satyricon................................................................................................... 12 Epigraphic References ......................................................................................................................... 13 Gladiator References ............................................................................................................................ 18 Gladiator Cups References .................................................................................................................. 22 Conclusion and Implications ............................................................................................................... 27 Spiculus and Petraites ....................................................................................................................... 28 Nero and Petronius ........................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter III: “Fighting Walls”: The Implications of Pompeian Graffiti about Gladiator Fights ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Epigraphic Evidence at Pompeii Provided by Fautores .................................................................... 32 The Repetition and Reappearance of Certain Fighters in Pompeii ................................................. 33 Narrative Histories in the Graffiti ....................................................................................................... 37 Gladiator Singularis .......................................................................................................................... 37 Gladiatorum Paria ............................................................................................................................. 41 Fighters on Both the Pompeian Graffiti and Other Literary and Epigraphic Materials .............. 46 Spiculus .............................................................................................................................................. 46 Other Mentions of Fighters from Pompeii within Italia: Plausible and Implausible ..................... 47 Oceanus ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Aracintus ............................................................................................................................................ 50 M. Attillius ......................................................................................................................................... 52 Hilarus ............................................................................................................................................... 52 Asteropaeus ........................................................................................................................................ 53 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Chapter IV: Vascula Vitrea Pugnis Gladiatorum Ornata......................................................... 56 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 56 Methods of Data Collection and Interpretation ............................................................................ 56 Context .............................................................................................................................................. 57 Find-spot ........................................................................................................................................... 57 Mold Types and Location ................................................................................................................ 58 Timespan of the Vascula Vitrea ....................................................................................................... 59 Roman Mold-blown Glass Cups Content ....................................................................................... 60 Identifying the Fighting Class from Visual Details ....................................................................... 61 How to Read the Cups .......................................................................................................................... 63 Losers ................................................................................................................................................ 64 Victors ............................................................................................................................................... 66 Incertum ............................................................................................................................................ 68 Number of Gladiator Names that Appear across the Vascula Vitrea .............................................. 68 How Are the Illustrations Presented? ................................................................................................. 70 Manufacture and Tradition ................................................................................................................. 71 2 Hammond Honors Thesis in Classics Types and Molds ................................................................................................................................... 72 Prototype Mold and Over-Molding ................................................................................................ 73 C Mold Types .................................................................................................................................... 74 D1 and D2 Molds .............................................................................................................................. 78 C/D Molds ......................................................................................................................................... 79 F1, F2, and F3 Molds ....................................................................................................................... 80 G1, G2 Molds .................................................................................................................................... 83 Who Is Paired Together and What Was the Result of the Pairing? ................................................ 91 Petraites/Tetraites .............................................................................................................................. 93 The Fights of Petraites and Hermes are not Equal in the Cena Trimalchionis ............................ 94 Holhes/Holes, Ories/Hories, and Hermes ........................................................................................ 96 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 98 Appendix I: PBHG Catalogue of Graffiti from Pompeii (gladiator singularis 1-4; gladiatorum paria 5-17) ............................................................................................................. 102 Appendix II: PBH Catalogue of Vascula Vitrea Pugnis Gladiatorum Ornata ..................... 107 Appendix III: Mold Types of Rütti et al. and Sennequier et al. ........................................... 115 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 119 3 Hammond Honors Thesis in Classics Preface Romans knew the names of their gladiators. Some knew from firsthand experience with the arena and others from secondhand experience through graffiti. Others still knew from literary accounts or material objects distributed throughout the empire. Even if they never saw the gladiators in person, many Romans of the 1st and early 2nd century were still able to be fans just as many of us are today. In this thesis, I will be investigating