Types of Roman Entertainment
The People of ancient Rome had many sources of entertainment! Our objective today is to tell you all about those sources of entertainment. How about we start with...Gladiator games?!?!?!?
Gladiator games in ancient Rome consisted of multiple gladiators and an animal, that were forced to fight to entertain the people of Rome. Audiences/spectators watched, as they cheered for the animals and gladiators in the arena. The gladiators who were fighting were usually either slaves or convicted criminals.
Next on the list of entertainment sources...Baths! Public baths in ancient Rome were more than just a place to clean up, they were also a place to socialize. Men and woman could get the latest news and gossip form there fellow Romans, who were almost always happy to share.
After the Romans enjoyed a nice hot (or cold) bath in the afternoon, they might go to enjoy a nice concert or play. These concerts and plays would be held at theaters, arenas, or anything of that sort. Here are some areans in ancient Rome, and a little bit about them...
The Colosseum was a huge public entertainment center. The Colosseum could seat 45,000 spectators! This is where the ancient Romans gathered to watch bloody combat between gladiators, and battles between men and wild animals. This is where they threw people to the lions! To see men being killed was very entertaining to the ancient Romans. On occasion, they flooded the Colosseum with water, to hold naval battles, where many competitors died!
The Circus Maximus was another public entertainment center, and was just a single, specific facility in Rome. The Maximus was used mostly for chariot racing. It could seat 250,000 people! (That's a quarter of a million people!) There were other circuses in ancient Rome.
Another form of entertaiment was Chariot Racing. Chariot racing was a popular event that was held in the Circus Maximus. What they did in the chariot races, well, the name is pretty much self-explanitory. A racing day would consist of between 10 and 24 races, each with 7 laps, and next to no rules at all. Lots of betting would be going on, and crashes were frequent and spectacular. Most drivers were slaves, but they very most definitely stars as well!
So now you should have a pretty general idea of what the ancient Romans did for entertainment. If not, check out the links at the bottom of the page for more information. BYE!!!
Pictures and Information
The Colosseum
Just about Everything you Need to Know about ancient Rome
Baths----Another Form of Entertainment
Pictures! Scroll down and click on anyone's that you want!
Fleasius' Script!
