entertainment background info

Question 1

what is the formal name of the colosseum?

Answer 1

flavian amphitheatre

Question 2

when was the colosseum constructed?

Answer 2

between 70-80AD

Question 3

what is colosseum made of?

Answer 3

• travertine limestone
• tuffa
• concrete

Question 4

how many spectators could fit in the colosseum?

Answer 4

50,000 - 80,000

Question 5

what would be performed at the colosseum?

Answer 5

• gladiatorial contests
• public spectacles
• executions
• battle re-enactments
• sea battles

Question 6

where was the colosseum placed?

Answer 6

at the centre of the city to win public support

Question 7

what was used to keep sun and rain off and to direct the breeze from the colosseum?

Answer 7

awning (velarium)

Question 8

who was the box at the north of the colosseum for?

Answer 8

the emperor

Question 9

who was the box at the south of the colosseum for?

Answer 9

the vestal virgins

Question 10

who sat at the front in the colosseum?

Answer 10

the senators

Question 11

what was underneath the arena at the colosseum?

Answer 11

the hypogeum

Question 12

where were the gladiators and animals held before contests began in the colosseum?

Answer 12

the hypogeum

Question 13

what were juvenal’s satires intended to do?

Answer 13

to criticise the flaws of Roman society

Question 14

who were Juvenal’s satires designed for?

Answer 14

an elite audience

Question 15

what periods were Juvenal’s satires written in?

Answer 15

• Flavian (after Nero’s rule - had stabilisation but autocratic tendencies)
• Trajanic (prosperity but social inequality and corruption)

Question 16

what was Juvenal critical of in his satires?

Answer 16

women’s behaviour and loose morals (esp elite women)

Question 17

what is Eppia’s behavior like?

Answer 17

scandalous and subversive

Question 18

who is Hyacinthus?

Answer 18

a beautiful young man from Greek mythology

Question 19

who is Veiento?

Answer 19

a sentar remembered for his sycophancy and corruption under the reign of Nero and Domitian

Question 20

what was the theatre in pompeii made of?

Answer 20

concrete

Question 21

what is the scaena frons?

Answer 21

the backdrop of the theatre, in front of the changing rooms

Question 22

where in pompeii was the theatre?

Answer 22

South-west region

Question 23

how was the seating in the theatre divided?

Answer 23

by class

Question 24

what were the vomitoria?

Answer 24

the passages (between the seats I think)

Question 25

where did the action in roman comedy take place?

Answer 25

outside the character's home

Question 26

what was the typical plot of a roman comedy?

Answer 26

some sort of complication due to eavesdropping

Question 27

who are the main kinds of characters in Roman comedies?

Answer 27

- adulescens - senex - leno - miles gloriosus - parasitus - matrona - virgo

Question 28

who is the adulescens in Roman comedies?

Answer 28

- unmarried man - usually in his late teens or twenties - action typically surrounds the pursuit of the love of a prostitute or slave who is later revealed to be a free-born woman and so eligible for marriage

Question 29

who typically accompanies the adulescens?

Answer 29

a clever slave character, the pseudolus servus who attempts to solve the adulescens' problems or shield him from conflict

Question 30

who is the senex in a roman comedy?

Answer 30

- primarily concerned with his relationship with his son, the adulescens - often opposes sons' choice of love interest - though sometimes helps him to achieve his desires - sometimes in love with the same woman as his son - never ends up with her - often dragged off by his irate wife

Question 31

who is the leno in a greek comedy?

Answer 31

- the character of the pimp or the 'slave dealer' - the activities of the leno are presented as highly immoral and vile - though the leno always acts legally and is paid in full for his services

Question 32

who is the miles gloriosus in Roman comedies?

Answer 32

- an arrogant, braggart soldier - typically gullible, cowardly, and boastful

Question 33

who is the parasitus in Roman comedy?

Answer 33

- often portrayed as a selfish liar - typically associated with the miles gloriosus character - primarily concerned with his own appetit or from where he will obtain his next free meal

Question 34

who is the matrona in roman comedy?

Answer 34

- the character of the wife and mother - usually displayed as an annoyance to her husband, constantly getting in the way of his freedom to pursue other women - after catching her husband with another woman, she typically ends the affair and forgives him - she loves her children but is often temperamental towards her husband

Question 35

who is the virgo in roman comedy?

Answer 35

- unmarried young woman - love interest of adulescens - often spoken of but remains offstage - typical plot point in the last act of the play reveals her to be of freeborn descent and therefore eligible for marriage

Question 36

what were chariot races part of?

Answer 36

- triumphal processions - foundation rites - funeral games

Question 37

who subsidised the chariot races?

Answer 37

the consuls

Question 38

what happened before a race began?

Answer 38

a parade which featured charioteers, music, dancers, and gilded images of the gods

Question 39

where were the gilded images of the gods placed during races?

Answer 39

on dining couches to view the race

Question 40

where was the circus maximus?

Answer 40

between the palatine and aventine hills

Question 41

how many people could be seated in the circus maximus?

Answer 41

250,000 people

Question 42

what were the starting gates called?

Answer 42

the carcere

Question 43

which way round did charioteers race?

Answer 43

counterclockwise

Question 44

what were used to count the laps in chariot races?

Answer 44

the spina - in the shape of eggs or dolphins

Question 45

how much were tickets to chariot races?

Answer 45

they were free

Question 46

where did the senators sit at chariot races?

Answer 46

in the seats nearest to the tracks

Question 47

what is the name for a 4-horse chariot?

Answer 47

a quadrigae

Question 48

what did charioteers wear?

Answer 48

short tunics

Question 49

what were crashes called?

Answer 49

naufragia

Question 50

what were the colours of team?

Answer 50

- red - white - blue - green ( - purple - brought in later)

Question 51

who brought in the purple team in chariot racing?

Answer 51

Domitian

Question 52

were charioteers slaves or freedmen?

Answer 52

most were slaves but some were freedmen

Question 53

what were the winners of chariot races awarded?

Answer 53

a victor's wreath and palm

Question 54

what was the name for a two horse chariot?

Answer 54

a Biga

Question 55

when was the Satyricon written? (as in who reigned)

Answer 55

during the reign of Nero

Question 56

who was emperor nero's fashion advisor?

Answer 56

Petronius

Question 57

what were reciters used for in dinner parties?

Answer 57

as a form of entertainment; poetry recitation, dramatic performance, music, or philosophical discussions

Question 58

what does trimalchio saying 'when i was still in long hair' mean?

Answer 58

- part of a ritual where a boy would cut his long hair when he hits puberty - it's comical bc Trimalchio was a slave not a privileged young man so he wouldn't have undergone the same ritual

Question 59

what three gods did Trimalchio have?

Answer 59

- they are all to do with his own background/values rather than his ancestors - cobbler - relating to manual labour and his low social status - Fortuna - relating to chance, prosperity, and fate - his luck of elevating from being a freedman - Lucrum - relating to profit - aristocrats would value honour or virtue

Question 60

how many beds would be in the triclinium at a dinner party?

Answer 60

3 beds (lectus summus, lectus medius, lectus imus)

Question 61

who would sit at the lectus medius?

Answer 61

for hosts or honoured guests

Question 62

why was the lectus medius the best couch?

Answer 62

- central position - best access to host on lectus imus - ideal view of entertainment

Question 63

why was one side of the table open?

Answer 63

to allow service to the table