Sources for the Roman Arena

Books: (see also General Reference Works)

Auguet, Roland. Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games. London: Allen and Unwin, 1972.

Barton, Carlin A. The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: The Gladiator and the Monster. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993.

Futrell, Alison. Blood in the Arena: The Spectacle of Roman Power. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997.

Grant, Michael. Gladiators. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1967.

Harris, H. A. Sport in Greece and Rome. Aspects of Greek and Roman Life. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1972.

Pearson, John. Arena: The Story of the Colosseum. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973.

Wiedemann, Thomas. Emperors and Gladiators. London: Routledge, 1992.

Wistrand, Magnus. Entertainment and Violence in Ancient Rome: The Attitudes of Roman Writers of the First Century A. D. Göteburg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis Universitatis, 1992.

External Links:

• Amphitheatrum (Bill Thayer, Lacus Curtius web site), very comprehensive information on amphitheaters, gladiators, venationes, etc. from Smith's 1875 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
• Living in the City of Rome: The Amphitheatre (David Noy, University of Wales, Lampeter), includes good primary sources
• Roman Gladiatorial Games (Roger Dunkle, Brooklyn College), includes a whole series of pages on gladiators, amphitheaters, venationes
• Gladiator (Ross Scaife, University of Kentucky): a page of links to sites about the movie Gladiator and related historical and factual information.
• Donald G. Kyle, “Rethinking the Roman Arena: Gladiators, Sorrows, and Games” The Ancient History Bulletin 11.2-3 (1997) 94-97 (an article reviewing three books on the topic)
• Christopher S. Mackay, “Blood Sport,” a lecture on gladiatorial games
• The Colosseum, Rome (Classical Studies Virtual Field Trip, Marlborough Boys' College)

Image List: The following images from the pages on this topic are available through the VRoma Image Archive; further information can be found by consulting the various slide indices. Images in the VRoma Archive may be used for non-commercial purposes, either by downloading the images or by linking to them; it is not necessary to write for permission, but we do ask that you credit the VRoma Project.

reconstruction drawing of Colosseum (Nispi-Landi)	Lucanian tomb painting of gladiators and chariot	gladiatorial mosaic	terra-cotta lamp of gladiators	terra-cotta flask of gladiators
Kuhn (1913) fig. 113, p. 103	Paestum Museum, 5th century CE	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	Hermitage Museum	Cologne, R-G Museum

view toward Vesuvius	view through upper-level arched door	staircase in cavea	exterior wall and staircase	view of arena through entrance passage
Amphitheater, Pompeii	Amphitheater, Pompeii	Amphitheater, Pompeii	Amphitheater, Pompeii	Colosseum, Rome

exterior walls	exterior wall with Corinthian, Ionic and Doric orders	model of Colosseum	model of Colosseum with cutaway section	cavea from top level
Colosseum, Rome	Colosseum, Rome	EUR Museum	EUR Museum	Colosseum, Rome

arena with underground openings	underground corridor	underground with areas for animal cages	arena with underground openings	arena opening with rim for trapdoor
Colosseum, Rome	Colosseum, Rome	Amphitheater, Pozzuoli	Amphitheater, Capua	Amphitheater, Pozzuoli

underground structures	exterior top with awning post holders	gladiator figurines	bronze gladiator's helmet	mosaic--lanista and Thracian
Amphitheater, Pozzuoli	Colosseum, Rome	British Museum	British Museum, 1st century CE	Verona Museum

mosaic--lanista secutor, retiarius	mosaic--retiarius menaced by secutor	relief of bestiarii and animals	Colchester Vase--bestiarii	bestiarius and leopard
Verona Museum	Verona Museum	cast from EUR Museum	Colchester Museum, 2nd-3rd century CE	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE

bestiarii and bear	small palaestra with gladiators' barracks	large palaestra	ruins of gladiators' practice amphitheatre	water organ and horn player
villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	Pompeii	Pompeii	Rome	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE

men fighting with whips	elderly trainer and tame lion	animals fighting in arena	mosaic of lion hunt	mosaic of boar hunt
villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE	Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE

mosaic of captured rhino	mosaic showing trapping of a tiger	wagon for transporting animals	animals carried onto ship	ship for transporting animals
Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE	Worcester Art Museum	Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE	Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE	Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE

griffin guarding human in cage	painting detail--Dirce and bull	reconstruction drawing of Colosseum with naumachia (Nispi-Landi)	retiarius, secutor, lanista	Colchester Vase--defeated retiarius
Piazza Armerina, 4th century CE	House of Vettii, Pompeii	Kuhn (1913) fig. 114, p. 103	villa at Nennig, 2nd-3rd century CE	Colchester Museum, 2nd-3rd century CE

"Gladiatorial Combat," by J.-L. Gerome	drawing of gate of Libitina	mosaic of gladiatorial scene
Kuhn (1913) fig. 120, p. 111	Kuhn (1913) fig. 121, p. 112	Munich, Praehistorisches Museum, 3rd century CE

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