Emperors and Gladiators

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding, well researched book for the serious reader
Review: Meticulously researched with an outstanding, chapter by chapter bibliography, this book should be read by anyone interested in the factual history and cultural significance of gladiatorial contests. Debunks many "Hollywood" misconceptions, such as the myth of the "we who are about to die salute you" salute and the "thumbs down" signal.

Rating:
Summary: Roman Games
Review: This book, by author Thomas Wiedemann, is a penetrating look into the processes of the gladiatorial, or spectacle games, of the Roman era. I can agree to some extent with the previous reviewer who stated that this book is difficult for beginners. The only reason I got so much out of it is that I've been reading heavily on spectacles and games. Once you've covered a few of these books, it gets much easier, as most of the same citations and quotes appear in every account. In other words, once you recognize Martial, Tertullian and historians such as Dio and Tacitus, things become much clearer.

Wiedemann touches on almost every aspect one can think of in this book. Background information on Republican games is covered well, and the Imperial aspects of the games are also given liberal treatment. Wiedemann discusses the political content of spectacle as well as the decline of the games in the later Roman Empire. Interesting treatments of the role of myth in the games appears here, as does the paradox of the gladiator (Romans considered gladiators the lowest of the low socially, yet idolized them at the same time). Wiedemann sees the gladiators as symbols of Roman virtu, slugging it out in the arena in order to show Romans what it means to be Roman and to teach important lessons on death and rebirth. Wiedemann's discourse on opposition to the games is especially noteworthy. Wiedemann shows that not one aspect of Roman society opposed the games on humanitarian grounds. There was no ACLU in these days. Philosophers opposed the games on the grounds that it brought forth dangerous emotions in man while denying the rational mind. Even Christians didn't make a stink about the dehumanization of the games. They opposed the games because the lessons of rebirth the games taught were an error. Rebirth comes not from receiving mercy from the people and the emperor, but from acceptance of Christ and the sacraments. Actually, the death and destruction the Christians suffered in the arena could be seen as a boon; the huge amount of martyrs created by the games bolstered Christianity by providing important examples of the serenity and power Christ could bring to the faithful.

This is a very good book and very helpful to me as I attempt to write a paper on the political role of the games. I do wish Wiedemann could have been a little more organized in his approach. Oftentimes, he seems to be all over the place with his discussions. Some of his claims, while interesting, are somewhat shaky. Wiedemann writes that the placement of the arenas, on the edge of towns and cities, were a symbol of the games themselves, specifically the fight between civilization and nature as best expressed by the animal fights (venatio). I'll buy this civilization vs. nature argument, but not the placement of the arenas. Not all arenas were on the outskirts of towns. Alison Futrell showed that many were tied to local religious sites. In the East, many games were held in pre-existing theaters, which were not necessarily on the outskirts of town. Like all things Roman, uniformity is hard to find. This is one reason why Rome was so successful in holding things together for so long. The Romans were willing to accept many local customs and traditions if they could throw a veneer of Romaness over them. Despite a few inconsistencies, this book is a valuable contribution to the often misunderstood Roman spectacle.

Rating:
Summary: For Serious Students of History Only
Review: This is a very thorough, meticulously referenced book with a tremendous number and variety of facts about Gladiators, BUT it is not well organized for easy reading.It is NOT recommended for someone with casual interest in Gladiators and other Spectacle Entertainments among Romans.