Roman Sport & Games
Games, especially gladiatorial combats and chariot races, are among the most famous, even notorious, aspects of life
in ancient Rome. Many Roman cities built amphitheatres. The Colosseum in Rome was the largest such arena in the
Roman world. The Circus Maximus and the Colosseum were also the venues for wild beast hunts and public
executions, which were much relished by audiences. But in general, sport and physical fitness were prized
throughout its history as men were liable for arduous military service.
Gladiatorial combats
Gladiatorial combats were originally occasions to celebrate a funeral, but the spectacle of the combats soon made
them a state enterprise to unite and placate the people.
The first recorded gladiatorial show in Rome was staged in 264BC, when three pairs of gladiators fought to the
death in the Forum Boarium. The spirits of the dead were thought to appreciate human blood, so captives or slaves
were set to fight each other to death at aristocratic funerals. Over the next 200 years, Roman nobles competed to put
on ever more lavish shows. In 65BC, Julius Caesar displayed 250 pairs of gladiators at funeral games for his father –
who had died 20 years before. This extravagance was an attempt to win political influence, for, as a Roman
commentator noted, "The mob cares only for bread and circuses." Finally the emperor became the main, often sole,
provider of games for Rome's frequent public holidays, while in other cities local magnates continued to provide
gorily expensive games involving gladiators and wild animals. Games were often staged as part of ceremonies to
pay homage to the emperor.
At first, gladiators were recruited from among slaves, condemned criminals or war captives. Novice gladiators
learned how to fight with wooden swords and wicker shields before progressing to real but padded weapons in a
way that paralleled military training and often faced harsh disciplinary action such as burning, imprisonment, or
flogging. As it took several years to train a skilled gladiator, they did not usually fight to the death. Although the
lifestyle was arduous and violent, the food was good and accommodation not bad by contemporary standards.
In fact, as the number of criminals and war captives dwindled in the empire, some free men volunteered for a fixed,
usually three-year term. A successful gladiator might hope survive for about three years in the arena, during which
he would likely earn enough money from gifts to earn his liberty and retire in comfort.
Chariot Races
Although they had different origins, the circus games were the gladiators’ greatest rival attraction. Racing with
chariots generally took place in the Circus Maximus. The arena was well-named since it was truly vast, over 660
yards long and 220 yards wide. Progressively adorned, it was given its final form under Trajan, who turned it into a
massive structure with three marble-faced arcades built up on vaults. It is estimated it could seat up to 300,000
people, about a third of the city's population.
Although almost all charioteers were slaves or ex-slaves – and so scarcely higher in Rome's social hierarchy than
gladiators – a few became very famous and very rich, both from gifts they received from upper class men and also
from the fantastic wages they could command. The chariot drivers in Rome belonged to one of four teams in the
imperial period: the Whites, the Reds, the Blues and the Greens. These were sizeable companies or corporations,
each with its own stables and team of trainers, coaches, saddlers, vets, blacksmiths and grooms Farnese.
The team normally supported by the people was the Greens, while the Senate supported the Blues. Huge bets were
placed on each team or rider. Before a race started, each of the chariots was placed in one of the starting gates.
Above them a magistrate presided over the games. When he gave the signal, by dropping a white napkin into the
circus, a trumpet sounded, a spring mechanism opened the gates and the chariots were off. Each charioteer strove to
attain the best inner position on the left, but fine judgment was crucial. If his chariot wheel so much as touched the
curb, it could shatter, wrecking his own and probably others' chariots in the crash. Charioteers wore short sleeveless
tunics and leather helmets, and carried knives to cut themselves free from the leads tied round their waists if there
was a collision. As up to 12 chariots could compete in the circus, collisions were common occurrences. The last lap
was the most excitingly dangerous of all. But, the winner was greeted with ecstatic applause and given a victor's
palm or gold crown. Adding to the popularity of the events, distraught spectators –and many poorer Romans
gambled voraciously – were pacified with donations of money thrown to the audience and free meals provided
afterwards.
Games and Exercises
The Romans regarded keeping fit as a vital part of a citizen's personal regime, but they never fostered a cult of
athletics in the way that the Greeks did. However, Roman men maintained an ideology of keeping “a healthy body
and a healthy mind.” But this was an ideal. Rich Romans, unlike their counterparts in classical Greece, seem to
have suffered from the diseases of affluence, possibly because of their gluttonous dinner parties. Combined with the
fact that Rome was a crowded city notably lacking in public spaces, exercise was difficult. So while ordinary
Roman life involved at least a modicum of daily exercise for everyone, Augustus' chief minister, Marcus Agrippa,
built exercise grounds or gyms in the open land that remained. Wrestling, running, and lifting dumbbells were all
popular sports among Roman men.
There were efforts to make these sports into public displays modeled after the Greek Olympics, but none of these
simple sports could rival the races or gladiatorial games in popularity. The repeated attempts to enthuse the
populace about athletic displays was due in part because they were cheaper to stage than the larger gladiatorial and
circus events. Yet, simple athletic competitions were popular as interval entertainment, and continued to be
important in the Greek part of the Roman empire.