What was the importance of the Games inRoman Society

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What was the importance of the games in Roman Society? In order to assess the importance of the games in Roman society, it will be necessary to consider what games were important; what values were placed on these games; how they were viewed in a socio-political context and finally, their cultural and economical significance at the time. It is also useful to look briefly at some of the other activities that took place within the arena of the colosseum. Included in the games arena, were mock battles, circuses, chariot races and executions. The games were held for long periods, sometimes several days in a row. They usually started with comical acts and displays of exotic animals and ended with fights to the death between animals and gladiators or between gladiators. Of all the games, the gladiator combats were the most impressive and were immensely popular with the audiences. They were important in Roman Society as a demonstration of power and strength. On the whole, Roman people were extremely supportive of the horrors that occurred in the arena. They saw the gladiators more as lesser people than as free Roman citizens. Often these were slaves or condemned prisoners; therefore, they were receiving their due punishment. One important factor was how the gladiator was viewed. Apparently, some women and men saw them as sexual objects, perhaps because some fought bare-chested. In that sense, dead or alive, they would often develop celebrity status. Another type of game that was very popular with the audiences was the animal hunt. For these games, they used a great variety of wild animals such as elephants, lions and tigers. Generally the spectators revelled in the killing and slaughter of such animals. In some sense, it was viewed as a way of removing a very real threat to their safety and existence. People in the twentieth century have become aware

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