num_pages: 240
description: The great spectacles of ancient Rome have become proverbial for their cruelty, bloodlust &amp; glory. In the Arena, the games were savage &amp; brutal. Gladiators fought each other to the death, wild animals were put to fight each other &amp; criminals were executed by barbaric means. Military victories were marked when generals paraded through the city, the defeated were sacrificed to the gods &amp; food &amp; wine was offered free of charge on a lavish scale. Meanwhile the citizens received free bread to prevent hunger &amp; the riots it could provoke. This book looks at these savage spectacles &amp; traces the development from entertainment to hysterical obsession until their eventual decline &amp; disappearance, &amp; explains how they still have influence on contemporary life. Ill.
language: English
title: Age of the Gladiators: Savagery & Spectacle in Ancient Rome
titlecomplete: Age of the Gladiators: Savagery & Spectacle in Ancient Rome
genres: Ancient History, Nonfiction, History
ratings_count: 121
publisher: Chartwell Books