THE I'OWE SPECTACL ANCIENT R GLADIATO Ij andCAESA I Copyrighted material GLADIATORS and CAESARS ThU on* III naterial THE POWER O SPECTACLE It ANCIENT ROM GLADIATORS and CAESARS EDITED E ECKART KOHNE AN CORNELIA EWIGLEBE ENGLISH VERSION EDITED E RALPH JACKSO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRE* Berkeley Los Angeli Copyrighted material IkkiI, i Ihn i\ puoliuVd In ,i< nm ( Miry jn inhibition hrld .11 thr Lenders lo the British Museum Exhibition Rnlidi Mniouni (mm 11 ncmhi-r lo I ) Umwry iOOl Antikensammlung, Slaallirhe Muwen /u Berlin tin- inhibition i» ImkxI on m i-i* dwlKWd li> Ihe MuMiini (in Kuml < I l.intlKirn show n .It I t.imlxirt; Irnni 1 1 Frbnurv Und it—lfat, Md Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in 1H |iinr .'IHKI.irxl.n ihi- Hi<4»risc hrs hSwum nW lt.il/. S|n>w British Milium. London: Departments ot Greek and Rom.in Antiquities. Irum <l Mv to I ( h IflOM 2000. Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities. Coins and Medals, and Medieval and Later Antiquities ItiMvmilv ill ( .ilifcxnu Pm* jimI to- Anwlf.. ( jMihiiij BrnVirv Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridge Historisth.es Museum der Phiz. Silver Kunsthislorist hes Museum Wien, Antikensammlung O .'(UK! Muwum lui KunM unil < irnrrtx-, I l.initmii! I iiHiivh itiiiwm .ind uamiHom Landesmuseum Mainz 40 200O I he Holi>h Mlivoutn C iHHOAnv I Mnnumenti Musei e Gallerie PontHide, Citta del Vatitano I >m puMnhrd .'Him Musee Art heologtque. Vaisoti-La-Romaine Musee de I Aries Antique fcimliiwl Irani ihr Gamin h> AMhea M in J«« ulH.ii wi* I ->l I Hilton Tr.miUiom lid, Cambridge, UK Musee du Louvre. Paris Musei Capitolini, Roma ISHNU MS JJ71B 0 Museo Arc heologito di Verona Pnnliil in Spain Museo Arc heologito Nazionalecli Napoli » « 7 <> % 4 i i a « Museo Na/ionale Romano alia lerme di Dkx leziano. Roma Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe. Hamburg Museum ol I ondon httlntitun, Mi Rcimersladl Raunta. Romermuseum. il Augusta Augst Amlinv hav ( Ki Dm M the novice murowfti M.wri« defraled Romist h-Germanisches Museum der Stadt Koln Ihr lhiM-\ I in io> K.im n» Felh, who kneels in wblllNllM Staallit be Kunstsammlungen Dres<len. Skulpturensammlung Wurttembergisches Landesmuseum StuHgart, Antikensammlung Mouir with gladiators: pwH showing Mjuim F.nl h.iM of Ihr Ihint i rnlun, Mi Rflmcmiufnim a<'*;« I tlnv limn mosai< panel (hs nf.iu-d ,i nc h Roman hou%r in Ihr town nl AvgMU Kjum j iAu>;»ii Germany I ho tunm show ih.it iho two (lUduKirs .irr itfuitfy imv jif-i. 47 *>1 wIki have divnounletl tnmi Iheif h«wM> and are linishinjt thou i onihal on loot Movtii n with Hljcli.itini.il w rno Ins atw part ol the furnishings of imv ale Roman KtlHtV^ fT'LltlM'lv l^tf" nmmtl MhI-IiisI irnlUfN h |Src <^ «7 411 Copyrighted material 4 Contents Foreword R.G.W. Anderson. Dirvt for til the lintish Muvum Preface 7 Rdiph bckson 1 BrpaH and C irm«>s Tlw> Ptilirir nl Fnii-rt.nnmmil a Likjrl Kiihne 1 f.imilt.i CbrtixtnriM The Heroes of the Amphitheatre 31 Marcus lunkelm.tnn I Cirppli Athlpliri. in Rraw Boxing. Wrestling dnd Iht? Pancration 75 MarCUS lunkelm.mn 4 On the StartinR Line with Ben Hur: Chariol-Rac inK in the Circ us Maximus 8d Marcus lunkelm.mn S Give us vour Applause!' The World »l tht IhtMlrt- 1(1 Wiltried Stroh • h 'What fhau Wumwi 1 nvp k ihi- Word .' The IMumn and iheir Audipnres 1 Cornelij Ewigleben 7 Money and Circ uses: ( ompetilive Sport as Part of the Entertainment Industry' 14 to/fcerA/rjers Map 14 Chronology 1 Glossary 14 Bibliography 14 r'liMic C ledils 14 Foreword The exhibition Gladiators and Caesars displays the nated in Hamburg, at the Museum fur Kunst und material remains of Roman mass entertainment, Gewerhc, where it was conceived bv Dr Eckarl Kohne notably gladiatorial combat, chariot-racing and theatri- and Dr Cornelia Ewigleben. to l)oth of whom we cal performance. Uniquely, exhibits from twenty muse- express our gratitude. It was then shown at the His- ums throughout Europe have been brought together torisches Museum cler Plal/ in Spt-yer belore transter- with the incomparable collecfions of the British ring to the British Museum, where it has been Museum to give a vivid picture of the spectacle, consolidated by many additional exhibits danger, exritement. power and frequent brutality of The challenges and organisational complexities of games and shows in ancient Rome. It is an exhibition such an exhibition are considerable and its success has with wide and popular appeal, whether for its visual been due to the vision, expertise, efforts and goodwill impact or its resonances with today's entertainment of many individuals and institutions, to all those- and industry, I Hit it is one that also raises deeper issues of to fhe lenders listed above I extend mv grateful thanks state-sanctioned violence, political control and manip- ulation of the masses Public interest in Roman sports, already whetted by the sensational film Gladiator, will R.C..VV. Amhkxos be enriched by seeing real evidence. Oinxtot The exhibition has had three venues: it was origi- The British Museum 6 Copyrighted material Preface Spectacular entertainment for the masses and the exer- combat was the execution of criminals {noxii) and cise of political power are the subjects of the exhibi- others charged with the most serious offences. Con- tion Gladiators and Caesars. Bread and circuses - demned to die as a lesson to others, they were brutally panem el circenses - were what the Roman people killed in the most public of spaces, the circus and demanded of their emperor in a reciprocal relationship amphitheatre In front of tens of thousands of people that generally suited both parties well. Giving to they were burnt, crucified, put to the sword or exposed receive, euergetism, was a well-established practice of defenceless to wild animals. Some were Christians, the power-brokers of the Roman world, and to receive who faced death for the treasonable offence of refusing the loyal support of their people Roman emperors gave to sacrifice to the emperor, thereby rejecting Roman spectacular games and entertainment from the first state religion, and the wild animals sometimes century Bi to the end of the fourth century \D. The included lions, but the reality was mm complex and games, which originated in religious festivals, included even more grotesque than 'Christians thrown to the chariot-racing, athletic events and theatre, and they lions'. Public executions and state-sanctioned violence grew in size, frequency and cost over the centuries. are unpalatable today, but gladiatorial combat was evi- Gladiatorial combat had different origins, namely in dently adapted to (he conditions of the time, Until it the duels fought at the funerals of famous men, but was banned by the Christian emperors in the early fifth they, too, grew into huge and spectacular events. century *o there were few dissenting voices. In fact, The famous actors of Rome were not so very differ- theatre evoked sharper and more universal criticism ent from those of texfay, and even the top charioteers for its stage nudity and erosion of public morality. in their last and dangerous four-horse chariots equate These spectacular shows were embedded in quite well with our formula One racing-car drivers, Roman society, and the imagery of the amphitheatre, but Roman gladiators have no modern counterpart: circus and theatre permeated all classes, from lop to feted, loved and rewarded with huge sums of money, bottom. For the first time a broad range of visual they differed from our top sports stars in one crucial material has been brought together to illustrate the respect - they fought, quite literally, for their life at brilliance, danger, skills and brutality of those events every appearance. Some were professionals, some and the political power that went with them. The were slaves, many were captives or prisoners-of-war, exhibition was first conceived by Or fcckart Kohne but together in combat in the amphitheatre they were and Dr Cornelia Ewigleben, and it has been the great- symbols of Rome's control over the ancient world. As est of pleasures to work with such friendly and gener- Thracian was set against murmillo, and secular ous-spirited colleague's on the staging of the London against reliarius, in the contest of life and death, their exhibition. I have also been fortunate to have had the fate was determined by a gesture of the emperor's assistance of many colleagues, both in my own hand, which might be influenced by the verdict of the department and throughout the British Museum. In crowd. The spectators expected and applauded a particular, I have benefited from the constant support close-fought, exciting battle, which demonstrated and advice of Or Oyfri Williams, Keeper of the warlike spirit and courage, for bravery was the fore- Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, and most virtue of the Romans, who valued military ser- especially Dr Paul Roberts, curator in that Depart- vice above the athletic achievements so beloved of ment, while Teresa Francis of British Museum Press the Greeks. Gladiatorial combat in the arena focused and Colin Grant have worked tirelessly to produce public attention on the ultimate expression of bravery, this fine English edition of the book. But Roman society was complex, and so indeed were events in the arena, much more than people- today tend to realize. The exhibition seeks to reveal RAII'H JACK50N the multi-faceted nature of these shows, from parades Curator of exotic animals to animal hunts and from acrobats to Department of Prehistory gladiator pairs. Not to be confused with gladiatorial and Roman Britain, The British Museum 7 Copyrighted material Bread and Circuses: The Politics of Entertainment 11k- imjNk has Iimik siik •• c asi oil its < .urs ihr |miij>U' tlui living Kery rei ipient ol funis, bread was n tact allol once bestowed commands, lomulshipv teutons and all rlw.