Narrowing the Scope

       Bringing a smaller focus to our topic of Ancient Roman Spectacle  we have chosen the specific time period of 27 BC to 476 AD ,the fall of the Roman Empire. This is a very interesting time frame to us because with the ever growing expansion of Rome, the empire realized that a strong sense of nationalism was required to keep it's enormous populace from unrest and revolution. Therefore glorifying Rome and all of it's strength became a priority, leading to entertainment heavy with spectacle and Roman pride.

      Within this we plan to focus on the playwrights Plautus, his writing of Brother Menaechmus, and Seneca and his method of taking Greek plays and giving them more Roman qualities. We will research in detail the expansion of rome, Caligula, and  Pax Romnana. We will explain the political purpose of each along with the objective behind the mechanics of spectacle. We will explore use of bread and circus as a distraction to the less fortunate citizens from their daily lives.Together the four of us decided to bring focus on the relevancy of ancient spectacle and the political motivation behind it by asking if modern day America may be repeating the mistakes of the Ancient Romans by focusing heavily on expansion and nationalism and less so on the needs of the people. Brining together both physical and literary tools we hope to connect our topic to see how our subjects contributed to the fall of the roman empire.

Hines, Thomas G. "The Ancient Theatre Archive." The Ancient Theatre Archive. Whitman College, 01 Jan. 2001. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

Journal of Popular Culture. 00223840. Aug. 2011 Vol. 44 Issue 4.