18 November 2013
Individual Blog Post, #2
One thing that our group aims to focus on when discussing
spectacle in Ancient Rome is how it was used as a form of distraction by the
government. Events which employed a large amount of spectacle, such as gladiatorial
events in the colosseum, were great devices for lolling the populace into a
false sense of security and confidence. I wanted to understand how these
leisurely activities could have a stronghold on a such a large population. To
help me gain an understanding of the importance of these events to Roman
culture and society, I turned to a book called, “Leisure and Ancient Rome” by
J.P. Toner. I learned by reading this book that these recreational activities,
specifically the imperial games, provided an opportunity for people of both
genders and of every class to come together as a community, the provided role
models for men, and, perhaps most importantly, it boosted the ego of the
empire. These games showed off Rome’s great strength and power by showing the
athleticism of the participants. These events relieved people of the drudgery
of everyday life, helping them to enjoy their lives and take pride in their
country.
The author begins by introducing a term that I have never
heard before, but one that I found to be very interesting, “ ‘ Otium’ […]
contained an element of doing as one pleased in one’s own good time; hence,
some foods had to be allowed to cook ‘otiose’” (pg 23). This stuck out to me
because it immediately gave me an idea as to why the Romans would be able to
indulge in leisure without noticing that their empire was in trouble. This
gives the impression of a people who would much rather sit back and have fun
rather than engage in activism. Toner goes on to say, “Indeed, the promise of
less labour and greater leisure has been a common goal of much utopian
literature throughout the ages, and for the vast majority of people in Rome,
any move towards these ends would have represented a notable alleviation of the
harsh toils of their daily struggle for survival. The sense of choice, freedom,
and enjoyment, which ‘otium’ fostered within them, came to epitomize the ‘good
life’” (pg. 23). This made the Roman people more relatable because it is now
apparent that they are pursuing things that are very dear to Americans even
today; freedom and choice. After all, who in their right mind would not do what
they could to ease their suffering? It is a habit of people, in general, to
seek a way to ease the burdens of living. Undoubtedly one way to do this is to
engage in exciting, community-wide events.
Ancient Rome was an empire that was very much ruled by
its caste system, and yet, according to Toner, those lines became blurred when
an imperial game was being held. “The place of the games in the scheme of
leisure was broadly cross-social and cross-gender. […] Children played at
gladiators, adolescents were addicted to them, and they provided the staple
stopgap of everyday conversation” (Toner 35). He goes onto say that the games
were important because it was a place of equalization and a way to relieve
stress. People came together at Colosseum events more so than at any other time
in Roman life.
Toner makes a few more really interesting points that I
would like to cover in my presentation, such as gladiators acting as role
models for males and the Roman’s taking pride in their bloodthirsty history of
conquest and expansion. This article made the Romans more relatable in my eyes
by reminding me that they were real people and not just mindless pawns of the
Roman Empire.
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