THE LUST FOR BLOOD

Mary Kakaio, Foothill College:  "Gladiator Games with a Social and              Political Purpose"

Entertainment was not lost in Rome. In fact, the people had many types of acts from which to choose for their entertainment. But the Romans especially wanted to see gladiatorial contests in the Amphitheatre. It took ten years and a lot of money, hard work and creativity to complete the Colosseum, originally called the Flavian Ampitheatre, where gladiatorial games occurred. The opening celebration alone lasted 100 days and consisted of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. Fights to the death were assured to please the crowds of thousands in an Amphitheatre that could seat some 50,000 spectators. Gladiatorial games would be held all day with the main feature being the contests where trained fighters would fight to their deaths.

Trained in gladiatorial schools, slaves or criminals made up for most of the gladiators: but free men lured by the possibility of rewards would volunteer. Another type of fight consisted of sending criminals of all ages and sexes into the arena without weapons to confront animals who would tear them apart, assuring their ultimate death. Several kinds of animal contests were held as well. All these barbarous exhibitions were very popular in Rome, showing that public slaughter was quite significant in Roman culture.

Spectators, talking of little else, would literally pack themselves into the amphitheatre to participate and watch the games. After a loud and trumpeted announcement, gladiator teams would enter the arena. A team of lightly armed men would face a team of heavily armed men jousting with dull weapons at first until the crowd would yell and encourage fights to the finish. Sharp swords and daggers would then be brought in. So serious were these fights that the weapons would be presented to the Emperor to test their sharpness. With each and every type of game, the crowds would be merciless, crying for more gladiators and bloodshed.

When the day's events would just be about over, barred doors were opened and hundreds of worn out and half naked Jews of all ages would be driven into the center of the arena. The crowds would then scream for more barred doors to be lifted so that starved, man-eating lions and tigers could be released to attack the unarmed prey. These Jews were prisoners brought back from the Jewish war and the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. As slaves they were first debilitated from helping to finish building the same amphitheatre in which they were later to die in. After all the events of the day were finally over, mounds of corpses would be removed and armies of slaves would prepare the arena for the next day. This practice, lasting for days, went on for years, marking one of the most celebrated holidays ever remembered by the Romans.

As part of the great festivals, public spectacles were provided by the emperor and other state officials. It seems the gladiatorial games, most popular and famous of the spectacles, served a purpose beyond just entertainment. All of Rome would be in attendance, from senators and priests, citizens of wealth and standing, to the general public. It is said that the contests encouraged a disregard for pain and death, for even slaves and criminals displayed a passion and need for praise and victory in the arena. But, the gladiatorial games seemed to involve both a political and social purpose. For one, the games served as a diversion from any political worry of the time, and second, they seemed to be necessary to satisfy frolic needs of the common people. The Romans were a society investing its time and money in this sport, giving the notion that it was a priority.

The games were as popular as they were gruesome, and caused great excitement and destruction. Civilized people created and promoted these events, and participated in them, because they provided great political and economic strength and unavoidable commotion. Because I don't think there was much choice, I probably would have gone with the crowds to the games as not knowing any better at the time. I just hope I would not have found pleasure in them in the way they are described.

March 1998, By Dr. K. Feig

LUST FOR BLOOD