AGE OF GLADIATORS

Sub-titled 'Savagery and Spectacle In Ancient Rome', these spectacles have become proverbial for their cruelty, bloodlust and glory. In the Arena, the games were savage and brutal and gladiators fought each other to the death, wild animals were put to fight each other, and criminals were executed by barbaric means. Military victories were marked by the Triumph when generals paraded through the city, the defeated were sacrificed to the gods, and food and wine were offered free of charge on a lavish scale. Meanwhile the citizens received free bread to prevent hunger and the riots it could provoke. Chapters cover Spartacus, the varieties of killer, naval battle, wild animal hunts, chariot racing, Roman festivals, imperial excess, barbarian triumph, war in Sicily, banquets of debauchery, the seduction of Cleopatra, the grain fleets and a double page map looks at the Roman Empire AD211 with the Roman Empire, its frontier, provincial border, Africa province and Alans, regions outside Empire. From entertainment to hysterical obsession until their eventual decline and disappearance, the book looks at savage gladiatorial spectacles and explains how they still have influence on contemporary public life. 240 page illustrated paperback.