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Loading... Emperors and Gladiatorsby Thomas Wiedemann
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Ridley Scott and "Gladiator" have a lot to answer for by single-handedly reviving a latent interest in ancient, and especially Roman, history. Of all the books discussing the Roman arena that I have read so far, I found this the best written and most balanced. ( ) no reviews | add a review
Of all aspects of Roman culture, the gladiatorial contests for which the Romans built their amphitheatres are at once the most fascinating and the most difficult for us to come to terms with. They have been seen variously as sacrifices to the gods or, at funerals, to the souls of the deceased; as a mechanism for introducing young Romans to the horrors of fighting; and as a direct substitute for warfare after the imposition of peace. In this original and authoritative study, Thomas Wiedemann argues that gladiators were part of the mythical struggle of order and civilisation against the forces of nature, barbarism and law breaking, representing the possibility of a return to new life from the point of death; that Christian Romans rejected gladiatorial games not on humanitarian grounds, but because they were a rival representation of a possible resurrection. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)796.8The arts Recreational and performing arts Athletic and outdoor sports and games Combat sportsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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