Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; 1. Seeking explanations; 2. A catalogue of cruelty; 3. Groups, crowds, and seats; 4. Crowd dynamics at arena spectacles; 5. Arenas of prejudice; 6. Gladiators and sports spectatorship; 7. The attractions of violent spectacle; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

Were the Romans who watched brutal gladiatorial games all that different from us? This book argues they were not.

About the Author

Garrett G. Fagan is Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and History at Pennsylvania State University, where he teaches courses in Roman and Greek history, Latin, and ancient warfare. He is the author, co-author or editor of four books including Bathing in Public in the Roman World (1999), Archaeological Fantasies (2006) and New Perspectives on Ancient Warfare (2010), as well as numerous scholarly articles.

Reviews

'A vivid phenomenological account of the games … [a] well-informed book.' The Times Literary Supplement

'For industry, meticulous documentation of primary and secondary sources, cosmic view, and a good dose of common sense throughout, this is now unquestionably the best book on this repulsive but unavoidable subject. To adapt a famous though possibly apocryphal gladiatorial chant, Ave, Fagan, Imperator! Lecturi Te Salutant!' The Spokesman