...For approximately 390 years, Romans used the Colosseum as an amphitheatre for the re-enactments of famous battles or executions. It is estimated that around 400,000 people died in the Colosseum, and 1,000,000 animals died. These people were called gladiators. They were armed combatants that entertained viewers in the Roman Empire in violent fights with other gladiators and animals (“The Roman Gladiator”). However, fighting against animals was rare. Usually, squaring off against animals were uncommon for gladiators. These animals were reserved for “venatores” and “bestiarii.” These people were special warriors. The animals used in the arena ranged from deer to elephants (“10 Things”). Most gladiators were prisoners or war, slaves, or criminals....
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...“Gladiator” is a historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott. The film was set during the time period of 180 A.D. The leading actor in the movie is Russell Crowe alongside with Joaquin Phoenix. Crowe portrays a loyal general Maximus Decimus Meriduis, who is betrayed when the Emperor’s ambitious son Commodus murders his father and seizes the throne. Commodus murders his father seeing that he offered Maximus to be the next in line to the throne after his death. Finding out, Commodus murders his father and sentences Maximus and his family to be murdered. Managing to escape his execution, Maximus rushes to his family only to find out that he is too late. As he grieves over there death, he is captured and is sold as a slave for combat. Reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murder of his father and his Emperor. The movie “Gladiator” is fairly accurate according to the three areas that are focused on in this essay, weapons and military strategy, clothing and architecture. This paper will explore these aspects that were portrayed in the film pertaining whether or not it was accurate or inaccurate according to its time period. The area of weapons and military strategy was accurate. The film opens up with a horrific fight scene that is about to take place against the Germanic barbarians. Before the battle begins, it is shown that the Romans take their time to set up the weaponry. The Roman army and gladiator’s battle stance and weapons...
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...The Roman games and the value of life. The Roman games, or ludi, were held for the entertainment of the Roman people and played a significant role in ancient Roman culture. In the amphitheater, gladiators battled against wild beasts or engaged in combat with other gladiators. Such events were used to “elevate status” and to create “interaction between the ruler and the ruled”, highlighting the importance the Romans placed on rank and hierarchy. The ludi represented Rome’s dominance over its enemies but at what cost? It celebrated the fearlessness and power of the warriors and the state but also revealed their viciousness and disregard for the living. The act of killing, the crowd’s behavior, and even the arena itself all demonstrate how the Roman games devalue life, which is what this essay will explore. Human beings have an unusual fascination with violence but the idea of watching people die for sport is still shocking. The practice of watching deaths actually originates from the Christian ‘good death’, wherein friends and family gather to witness a loved one’s departure to a better place. “Death by public execution was an echo, even a mirror, of the Christian ‘good death’” in that it was a public event and was presided over by clergymen. However, the religious and solemn atmosphere cannot be found in a Roman arena. Le Bon suggests that in a crowd “a man descends several rungs in the ladder of civilization. Isolated, he may be a cultivated individual; in a crowd, he is...
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...Gladiator Ridley Scott Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix Derek Westerman McDonald History 134 42/21/2014 The movie gladiator was a film that was originally intended to stay as true to history as possible, but director Ridley Scott was unable to keep that at the conclusion of the movie. The first problem with the historical accuracy of this movie is the political aspect. In this film they state that the Roman Senate was chosen from the people to speak for the people when in fact they were appointed by magistrates and emperors. This leads to the fact that in the film they were trying to state that Rome was founded as a Republic, but it was actually founded as a Monarchy in 753 BC. and later became a republic in 509 BC. The second major area of concern for historical relevance was the military. The director lead the audience to believe that the campaign against Germania was at its end when in fact it was actually part of a larger campaign to take over the whole area and Romanize the region. In the film also it shows Maximus with the identification tattoo on his shoulder which was not the proper placement of this tattoo. The soldiers were required by to law to were this symbol on their hands so it would make it harder for deserters. The attire for the military was also out of place to be true to the era. The Gladiators in this film were also misrepresented by the director. These were athletes for this era and the way they were shown being killed off was not...
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...Jessica Grice Gladiator With movies like the gladiator it’s hard to find out what is it based on fact or fiction. When doing research I found a lot of people say the answer to the question in complex of the events in the film. Truth: The beginning of the movie starts out with a bit of truth. Aurelius was a philosopher and man of peace and he did spend most of his life fighting Germans in one way or another (Ward, Heichelheim, and Yeo 347).Fiction: The depiction of Aurelius children is somewhat false. Aurelius, in the Gladiator, is presented as having only two children. Truth: Aurelius however did not choose to carry on this tradition of senatorial succession. Instead, when it came to succession instead of picking a senator to replace him he picked his son Commodu. Fiction: The movie shows Aurelius wanted to pass down his position to Maximus, who never historically existed. Fiction: In the Gladiator Aurelius, while talking to Maximus, voices his concerns about Commodus taking over the position of emperor. He calls his son an immoral man and says that he should never be allowed to rule Rome. Fiction: There is no historically fact that Aurelius thought this of Commodus: this is quite evident in his gesture of making Commodus his co emperor. Truth: when it came to succession instead of picking a senator to replace him he picked his son Commodus (Ward et al., 351). Truth: Commodus portrayal as a disturbed, immoral, hateful and unstable man. Fiction: In Gladiator Aurelius was...
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...Slavery in Ancient Rome Rome as far research show had always exploited slaves, however during the early Republic Rome saw its slave population multiply significantly from a series of wars and conquests. This paper will discuss the rights and responsibilities of Roman slaves during the Republican era and early empire. It will also analyze the impact slavery had on Rome’s economic situation as well the impact on roman society and culture. Rome did not always have such an abundance of slaves. It was not until they conquered Corinth and sacked Carthage did they amass a significant amount of slaves. Some authors estimate that the number of slaves reached 300 000-350 000 in a total population of 900 000- 950 000 in Rome during the Augustan era.[1] It is of course impossible to determine the exact amount of slaves during this time, but nevertheless this estimate of slaves is still one third of the population. The Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage mark the beginning of Rome’s “addiction” to slavery. After Rome had consolidated the main land of what is now Italy, this brought them into contact with much greater powers. The first Punic War (264-241 B.C) began when both Rome and Carthage took interest in Sicily.[2] Herodotus notes the significance of this first of many battles by comparing it to the battle of Salamis. He states, “They say too, that the victory of Gelo and Thero in Sicily over Hamilcar the Carthaginians tell out upon the very day that the Hellenes...
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...People talk about the fall of Rome as if the Romans were completely helpless when the evil barbarians struck. That the perfect society of Rome could do nothing under the grasp of this great evil. But no one ever talks about Rome’s part in it’s own falling, and there a quite a few things Rome did wrong that lead to it’s own downfall. Let’s go back to 5th century, CE. Rome was bombarded with armies from many different places. But was the really the downfall of Rome? Many people who lived during that time would say no. They would say the main reasons for the downfall was Rome’s own laziness, overconfidence, and slowly corrupting governmental system. There are many varying opinions on why exactly why Rome fell, but a topic that shows up fairly frequently is how lazy the Romans grew. Rome was once a great society, but as it grew, it’s army grew lazier. They no longer enforced wearing armor. As if this wasn’t bad enough, they also stopped recruiting enough warriors for their army (Doc B). So, as their army grew lazier, neighboring countries began to notice this weakness. They assaulted Rome’s cities with all they,and due to...
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...The Roman Colosseum is primarily known for its Gladiatorial Games. As some people know, directors have made movies about the gladiatorial games, such as Gladiator and Spartacus, movies based out of the Colosseum. These movies were inspiring, so that led to researching whether the Roman Colosseum was really a place for fighting or was it for other events too? There is more to learn about the history of the Colosseum. The history of the Colosseum should not be taught as a battleground but as a place for chariot races, plays, mock naval battles, and festivals. When and Where First we need to know about the Colosseum. At its time, it was an engineering marvel. It was completed in 81 A.D., but was started by the ruler Vespian who died in 79 A.D. Vespian’s son, Titus, finished the project in 81 A.D. The Colosseum was built out of an assortment of building materials, such as...
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...When people think of the Roman Colosseum, they often think about the huge stone stadium structure and gladiator fights. While this is true, the Colosseum was much more than this. The Colosseum is not only an ancient structure, but also a symbol representing the power of the Roman Empire. This structure, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, entered construction in 72 CE in the reign of Vespasian. This building, which was built on a site that was once the lake and gardens of Emperor Nero’s Golden House, was part of a larger construction project by Emperor Vespasian in order to return Rome to its glory that it was before the recent civil war. The Colosseum was completed and first opened for business in the year 80 CE under the reign of Vespasian’s...
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...in the movie weren’t all accurate. Back then gladiators were supposed to make it believable but no actually kill each other. Also the pointing of a thumb down or up was changed in the movie then it really was. Another difference was some of the men had good bodies and weren’t plump or chubby. I think this movie is very believable. Hollywood added the drama between the crazy emperor and Maximus. Maximus was sold into slavery and back then Gladiators did that too. In the movie they didn’t have gladiators fight privately in other peoples rich homes and in the past they would. They didn’t make it 100% based on historical fact because they want a dramatic storyline that really brings action to an amazing story. They changed the thumbs because since this movie was made in our generation that’s what were used but in the past they would have it the other way. The coliseum’s big and small was exactly the same in the movies and back then in Rome. There was a battle of Carthage that Rome had won in real life and in the movie Maximus and others won that battle. The weapons and training were pretty much the same except there was no net in the movie and in the past they had those. Woman gladiators were in the movie and in past Rome too. They showed gambling in the movie before the battles and in the past they did this too. Fans would get very into these events in the movie and in the past. Lastly the gladiator dress was the same in the early Roman time and in the movie, also normal peoples clothing...
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...doubt, that everyone has this idealized world. For some, this world can be heavily based on the realities of their life at present or a world loosely based on reality. Few can be motivated to aim for this standard of perfection, however to reach the standard of perfection one must be realistic, hold good intentions in their hearts, and truthfully consider the situation they are in. In the realm of revenge tragedy, the choice between air-headily choosing to create an idealistic world without thorough consideration, and being truthful with the reality of life before setting out to create an idealized world affects the archetypal characters, as they are made to preform their roles based on that decision. Director, Ridley Scott’s epic film, Gladiator, explores the outcomes of turning one’s idealistic standard of life into reality. The film does so through the journeys of the classic hero archetype, the villain archetype, and lastly a character that is not classified as a general archetype, but simply one meant to push the story forward. Maximus Decimus Meridius, being the classic hero archetype and the protagonist of the film, is a man who possessed the ability to push through all the challenges and directly face the truth of the situation in an arduous attempt to actualize his idealistic world. This becomes one of his greatest traits and one of his flaws leading to his death. Commodus, the villain of the film, is a man who is opposite of Maximus in the manner he is emotional,...
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...One example is that “The fact is, the popularity of challenge videos isn’t really YouTube’s fault ~ it’s ours.” This backs up my answer because it tells us how it’s not social media to blame it’s really us. If we didn’t pay so much attention to these dangerous challenge videos we wouldn’t be giving these videos as much popularity which means not as many kids would be trying these challenges. I say this because kids are doing what is popular. Therefore if we make these dangerous challenge less popular and make other safe challenge videos more popular than kids would be doing these safe challenges instead of these dangerous...
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...Time Traveling Wanda Castro HUM 205 November 16, 2014 Mark Gainey Time Traveling My name is Wanda Castro and I am a world-renowned art historian and author. I have this special ability to travel through time to any period of history I wish to explore. Today I will take you on a journey along with me; we will make three stops to three different time-periods exploring art from three civilizations. The first will be the Mesopotamian civilization, the second the Egyptian civilization, and the third and final destination the Roman civilization. Prehistoric/Mesopotamian Civilization Well it is time to take a seat, strap on my seatbelt, and set the dials for my first stop the Mesopotamian civilization and on this journey, my destination in this civilization will be the Ziggurat of king Urnammu (Nanna), and it is an architectural piece of art. Hey if you get a little nauseas, there is a barf bag in the seat pocket, for the first timers, off we go. The Great Ziggurat of Ur is an ancient Sumerian ziggurat in Dhi Qar Province, Iraq. The Sumerian King Urnammu (Nanna) and his son Shulgi built the ziggurat in approximately the 21st century BC during the Third Dynasty of Ur, in dedication to the moon God Nanna. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods and each city had its own patron God. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful...
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...Commodus, a name synonymous with the 2000 film Gladiator starring Joaquin Phoenix, ruled the Roman Empire both jointly and solely from 177 to 192 CE. His story is a cautionary tale, one that highlights the problems of a man wanting the powers of the emperor without having to assume responsibilities of said post. Moreover, some scholars have argued that it was with this lack of responsibility by Commodus that began the decline of the Roman Empire. At a young age, Commodus was groomed, along with his brother Marcus Verus, to replace his father Marcus Aurelius as emperor, amassing a formidable education and the name of Caesar at age 5. When his brother passed away two years later, Commodus was on the fast track to becoming Rome’s next emperor,...
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...He says, “Those relatively few black athletes who do make it in the professional ranks must be prevailed upon to play a significant role in the education of all our young people (Gates, Jr. 102). He also adds, “A similar burden falls upon successful blacks in all walks of life” (Gates, Jr. 102). Purpose(s): Gates wants society to find a healthy balance between athletics and education, and for African-American children to know “that becoming a lawyer, a teacher or a doctor does more good for our people than winning the Super Bowl.” He also makes a compelling comparison when he says, “Until training a young black’s mind becomes as important as training his or her body, we will continue to perpetuate a system akin to that of the Roman gladiators, sacrificing a class of people for the entertainment of the mob (Gates, Jr. 102). Author When Gates says, “The tragedy for our people, however, is that few of us accept that truth,” he identifies himself as a member of the African-American community (Gates, Jr.101). He adds, “like...
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