Ancient Roman Games, Sports and Spectacles

Video

by Kelly Macquire
published on 07 June 2022

The people of ancient Rome loved spectacles and, lucky for them, they could often be entertained by lavish public shows. The emperors of Rome knew of their people's love of spectacle so a way that they could garner popularity and prestige during their reign was to put on great shows in their purpose-built arenas and venues. These venues would host any number of events from chariot races and gladiator fights to processions, executions, and even mock naval battles. I guess their love of sports and spectacles makes it less surprising that some of the best-preserved architecture from ancient Rome are the buildings that were constructed for entertainment purposes.

Rome’s enormous Circus Maximus was the place to be if you wanted to catch the most prestigious chariot races that the empire put on, but by the third century CE you could see these spectacular events in other major cities like Alexandria, Constantinople, and Antioch, and as the empire continued, the chariot races just got even more popular. Then there were the gladiatorial events which were always popular. The display of courage, bloody spectacle, and the potential for the underdog to rise to victory were all parts of what made gladiator fights so appealing to the Roman audience.

— TRAVEL TO ANCIENT GREECE WITH US —
Join our expert tour guide Dr Rita Roussos on a 9 day trip from Athens, to Thebes, Olympia, Delphi and Mycenae (just to name a few highlights). We hope to see you there! https://www.andantetravels.com/tours/worldwide-escorted-tours/ancient-treasures-of-greece/?utm_source=WHE&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=WHE%20US

— SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON—
https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia

— BUY OUR MERCH —
https://www.worldhistory.store​/​

— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:55 Spectacle in Ancient Rome
3:32 Chariot Races
5:32 Gladiators
8:32 Triumphs, Mock Naval Battles and Executions
10:43 Roman Theatre
11:58 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Roman Games, Chariot Races & Spectacle https://www.worldhistory.org/article/635/roman-games-chariot-races–spectacle/
Circus Maximus https://www.worldhistory.org/Circus_Maximus/
Colosseum https://www.worldhistory.org/Colosseum/
Roman Triumph https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Triumph/
Mythological Re-Enactments in Ancient Roman Spectacle https://www.worldhistory.org/article/796/mythological-re-enactments-in-ancient-roman-specta/
Roman Gladiator https://www.worldhistory.org/gladiator/
Female Gladiators In Ancient Rome https://www.worldhistory.org/article/35/female-gladiators-in-ancient-rome/

— WATCH NEXT —
Ancient Roman Art and Architecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbRzU7DZIk
The Roman Invasion of Britain with Richard Hingley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNfdfuH7z1c
An Introduction to the Ancient Roman Religion and Mythology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkNRUBZ9GjI
The Destruction of Ancient Pompeii https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNPNBarRhQc
The Founding of Rome: The Story of Romulus and Remus in Roman Mythology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyxPwsrbaT4

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/ancient-roman-games-sports-and-spectacles-images-and-attributions-9822

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/15290840790/in/photostream/
Carole Raddato
CC BY SA 2.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/17163256766/in/photolist-s9Ebh7-2kkMXm2-23qXjtV-2335grc-nDPUmm-2ku47t2-nE3jJD-nBZFty-nE2zqo-nBZJn9-nE3wFe-nE3otH-nFPPvD-nBZQ8h-eLJv28-nDKuXe-nnxYoA-e8wkLz-q46jM3-NtkKB7-avuAhz-rN8mqn-cdbDTs-LCsTRt-q4jnf2-E6t8z6-psHYUt-h72Na5-2gzjmfh-2gzjnJ4-GV5FX8-nnxG6z-ssyAuc-oRz9rA-GV5FKz-oaxwJy-e9ChpD-2gzjkT5-eqUf8D-h72zG8-h7426a-h745qr-h72Gai-rXcKCN-FdTRgn-ALsC3a-bMj4nt-h72ST3-22M92ek-DXe48x
Carole Raddato
CC BY SA 2.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#romangames #romansports #ancientrome #gladiators

About the Author

Kelly Macquire

Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Related Content

Filters:

All 

Definitions29

Articles30

Images21

Videos7

Collections5

Teaching Materials6

Quizzes1

Article

Roman Games, Chariot Races & Spectacle

If there was one thing the Roman people loved it was spectacle...

Lesson Pack

Daily Life in Ancient Rome

You will find here five lesson plans including classroom activities...

Definition

Roman Gladiator

A Roman gladiator was an ancient professional fighter who usually...

Definition

Amphitheatre

An amphitheatre was a structure built throughout the Roman empire...

Definition

Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus was a chariot racetrack in Rome constructed...

Article

Mythological Re-Enactments in Ancient Roman Spectacle

To this day the ancient Romans remain infamous for their dramatic...