Spectacles death ancient rome

Donald G. Kyle0415096782, 9780415096782, 9780203158579

The elaborate and inventive slaughter of humans and animals in the arena fed an insatiable desire for violent spectacle among the Roman people. Donald G. Kyle combines the words of ancient authors with current scholarly research and cross-cultural perspectives, as he explores * the origins and historical development of the games * who the victims were and why they were chosen * how the Romans disposed of the thousands of resulting corpses * the complex religious and ritual aspects of institutionalised violence * the particularly savage treatment given to defiant Christians. This lively and original work provides compelling, sometimes controversial perspectives on the bloody entertainments of ancient Rome, which continue to fascinate us to this day.

---

Table of contents :
Book Cover……Page 1
Title……Page 4
Contents……Page 5
List of illustrations……Page 8
Preface……Page 10
Introduction: violent spectacles and Roman civilization……Page 14
The phenomenon: the development and diversity of Roman spectacles of death……Page 47
The victims: differentiation, status, and supply……Page 89
Death, disposal, and damnation of humans: some methods and messages……Page 141
Disposal from Roman arenas: some rituals and options……Page 168
Arenas and eating: corpses and carcasses as food?……Page 197
Rituals, spectacles, and the Tiber River……Page 226
Christians: persecutions and disposal……Page 255
Conclusion: hunts and homicides as spectacles of death……Page 278
References……Page 285
Index……Page 295