Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780415096782)

The elaborate and inventive slaughter of humans and animals in the arena fed an insatiable desire for violent spectacle among the Roman people. Donald G. Kyle combines the words of ancient authors with current scholarly research and cross-cultural perspectives, as he explores * the origins and historical development of the games * who the victims were and why they were chosen * how the Romans disposed of the thousands of resulting corpses * the complex religious and ritual aspects of institutionalised violence * the particularly savage treatment given to defiant Christians. This lively and original work provides compelling, sometimes controversial, perspectives on the bloody entertainments of ancient Rome, which continue to fascinate us to this day.

Author: Donald G. Kyle
ISBN-10: 0415096782
ISBN-13: 9780415096782
Publisher: Routledge
Language: English
Published: 06/04/1998
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.75lbs
Size: 9.58h x 6.16w x 1.00d