The Lure of the Arena: Social Psychology and the Crowd at the Roman GamesWhy did the Romans turn out in their tens of thousands to watch brutal gladiatorial games? Previous studies have tried to explain the attraction of the arena by theorizing about its cultural function in Roman society. The games have been seen as celebrations of the violence of empire or of Rome's martial heritage, or as manifestations of the emperor's power. The desire to watch has therefore been limited to the Roman context and rendered alien to modern sensibilities. Yet the historical record reveals that people living in quite different times and circumstances (including our own) have regularly come out in large numbers to watch public rituals of violence such as executions, floggings, animal-baiting, cudgeling, pugilism and so on. Appreciating the social-psychological dynamics at work in attracting people to watch such events not only deepens our understanding of the spectator at the Roman games but also suggests something important about ourselves. |
Contents
Alypius in the stands | 1 |
chapter 1 Seeking explanations | 13 |
chapter 2 A catalog of cruelty | 49 |
chapter 3 Groups crowds and seats | 80 |
chapter 4 Crowd dynamics at arena spectacles | 121 |
chapter 5 Arenas of prejudice | 155 |
chapter 6 Gladiators and sports spectatorship | 189 |
Other editions - View all
The Lure of the Arena: Social Psychology and the Crowd at the Roman Games Garrett G. Fagan No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
affective dispositions amphitheater Ancient Rome Androclus animals appear arena crowd arena spectators athletes attitudes audience beasts behavior Cambridge cavea century chapter Christian Martyrs Cicero circus Coleman Colosseum combat sports Commodus condemned context crowd dynamics cultural cunei cuneus death display EAOR elephants elite emotional Empire entertainment evidence excitement execution victims experience fighters fights freeborn gladiatorial bouts gladiatorial games gladiatorial spectacles gladiators Gladiatorum Paria Gladiature Greek group processes hanging Hermes historical human hunts ibid Imperial ingroup inscriptions instance Intergroup kaª killed London ludi maenianum Magerius modern mosaic munera munus murmillo Musurillo Nero Note outgroups Oxford performers Pliny podium Pompeii popular prejudice prisoners public executions punishment quam Reicher retiarius riot rituals Roman arena Sabbatini Tumolesi seats slaves social identity Social Psychology society Spect spectaculum spectators staged status Suet Suetonius suggests theater Thracian venatio violence violent spectacle watch Zillmann Zliten