- while the rich lived in the lap of luxury, many poor Roman citizens lived a completely different life

  - the poor had few material possessions. Some had low-paying jobs while others depended on the state or wealthy patrons for the necessities of life

  - even if they were poor, these people could take part in the political process by voting and almost everyone could afford the very low cost of society at the baths and the religious ceremonies and public amusements.

  13. ANCIENT ROMAN AMUSEMENTS:

        As time passed in Roman History, luxury continued to grow in Rome. on the one hand there were a few who had fantastic wealth, while the other there was a growing number of citizens who had little, many being unemployed - members of the "idle city mob".  These people who had little to do wanted different forms of entertainment to which they could go for a pastime. Thus the frequency of "spectacles" grew in Rome. By the late Empire Period, over 175 holidays were set aside each year for games and entertainment. Admission to most of the public entertainments was either free or so cheap that even the poorest could attend.  Politicians (ex.  Caesar) often presented lavish entertainments and invited the people to attend free of charge in order to get the popularity it would give them.

    Unfortunately, many of the types of entertainment enjoyed by a majority of the Romans were violent, bloody, cruel, careless, about life and degrading to the human spirit.

 A. Dramatic shows:

    Rome had a number of outdoor amphitheatres where people went to see all kinds of "stage" performances.  Jugglers, acrobats, musicians and-magicians were all enjoyed.  Vaudeville acts (variety : music, comedy and dancing, mainly) were popular.

    As far as plays were concerned, the Romans did not usually  enjoy heavy tragedy of the Greek type.  They came to the theatre to be made to laugh, not to be made to think.  Light comedy, satire and pantomime were much more popular than the more intellectual types of plays.  Some of their satires were harsh, biting and personal.

B. Chariot Races:

  - Rome had three race tracks (and all of the cities of the empire had at least one) but the biggest and the most popular was the CIRCUS MAXIMUS, a huge oblong stadium capable of holding over 150,000.

  - the track consisted of two long straight stretches and two sharp corners with a narrow wall (Spina) down the
    center.

  - each race consisted of 7 laps - about 5 miles

  - charioteers drove up to four horses, according to their skill level

  - there was much violence: fouling was encouraged, many bloody accidents took place, especially as they skidded through the sharp corners

  - in Rome there were four main teams or stables : whites, reds greens and blues and all had many fans who bet heavily on the races (on an individual basis - no pari-mutuel)

  - on important race days, businesses closed in Rome because most people were "gone to the races"

  - great security had to be taken against such things as poisoning of the food of good horses or the killing of top
 drivers.

  - drivers were mostly slaves, but a successful one could gain freedom, wealth, and popularity

  C. Animal Shows:

  - held at the COLISEUM (colosseum), an oval stadium whose ruins still stand

  - these shows began as purely innocent exhibitions of rare and exotic animals from distant lands, like our zoos

  - as repeated exhibitions became dull, they added acts for trained animals not unlike our circuses

  - when crowds became bored seeing the same old things, the shows were enlivened by adding assorted types of violence and cruelty

  - animals were starved and/or tortured and made to fight each other singly or in groups for the entertainment of the crowds

  - the final development came when they began to put humans into the ring with wild beasts. Usually the people were  condemned criminals and the justification given was that they were being given a last chance to gain their freedom (usually they failed but it made the cruelty seem more acceptable). Christians were sometimes used but not much enjoyed: most of them just knelt in prayer waiting for death - they often would not fight back.

  - for variety, the arena could be flooded so that water animals could be used (ex. crocodiles)

  - many of the spectacles were presented as dramatic productions with well-known stories ending in death and  tragedy

  D. Gladiatorial Combats:

  - the word "gladiator" comes from the Latin word "gladius" which means "sword", and thus it means, literally,
"swordsman", but many different armaments and weapons were used to add variety and interest to the acts

  - usually held at the Colosseum, these were armed combats, mostly to the death, between trained fighters, singly or in groups

  - if a man was fallen and helpless, the audience signaled "thumbs up" if they wished him to live, "thumbs down" if they wished him to die

  - champion gladiators became very famous, but many did not live to retire into comfortable old age. Some were freed after a good fighting career.

  - Rome had at least three schools for the training of gladiators, because the crowds did not wish to see clumsy or unskilled combatants.

      Ever since scholars in the western world have studied ancient Roman history, people have believed that the violence and the viciousness of the entertainments had a bad and a weakening effect on these people, causing them to become cold and selfish, with no concern for others and no respect for human life.  It is often said that the mob of lazy and bloodthirsty Romans wanted nothing more than "Bread and games of the Circus" , free food, and entertainment.  In fairness, not all Romans agreed with the games.