The Colosseum. Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard - Softcover

Keith Hopkins

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846684706 ISBN 13: 9781846684708

Publisher: Profile Books, 2011

Synopsis

Colosseum

About this title

About the Author:

KEITH HOPKINS was Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge and Vice-Provost of King's College. MARY BEARD is Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and the classics editor of the TLS. Her books include the acclaimed The Roman Triumph and The Parthenon (in the Wonders of the World series of which she is general editor). She is also the award winning author of Pompeii, which was a BBC documentary.

From Booklist:

The authors point out that the Colosseum in Rome was constructed for the enjoyment of murder. They explain the role of that famous monument in Roman history and politics--a place in which the emperor came face-to-face with his people. Inaugurated in A.D. 80, the Colosseum was the scene of animals sent to fight each other or pitted against trained marksmen and hunters, some on horseback, others on foot, picking the animals off with spears, swords, or arrows. There were public executions, and gladiators, described by the authors as "marginal outsiders in Roman society; captives of war, the poor and destitute who saw in possible success in the arena their only hope," fought one another (a wounded or defeated gladiator was at the mercy of the audience). Hopkins and Beard note that the role of the audience was important; the people, seated in hierarchical ranks according to status, were in effect a microcosm of the Roman citizen body. A fascinating account for the Rome-bound traveler as well as the fan of European history. George Cohen
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About this edition

• Publisher: Profile Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1846684706
• ISBN 13: 9781846684708
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 214