What were the most popular

forms of entertainment in

ancient Rome?By: Sabella Aundraya

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Circus MaximusThe ancient Romans loved chariot racing. In the 6c BCE , the ancient Romans built the Circus Maximus in the city of Rome. Basically, the Maximus was a race track. It was designed to race chariots. Women could attend the races and they could sit with

men. That was very unusual. It burnt down and rebuilt a couple of times due the fact that it was originally built out if wood. Eventually the it was rebuilt using marble and concrete. The

Circus Maximus was not the only circus in the Roman Empire. The Romans built circuses (outdoor racetracks) all over the

Empire, however the Circus Maximus was the most well known race track. It could seat over 250,000 people! Admission was free so anyone could attend the races, including Rome's poor.

There were races every day. It was the height of success to race in the Circus Maximus. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

MasksThe Romans loved live theatre. Plays were only performed during

religious ceremonies and religious festivals. However, since the ancient Romans celebrated over 200 holidays a year, there were many

opportunities for plays to be held. There was a Forum in the centre of each town. The Forum was an open area, and used as the

marketplace. Typically, there were buildings around the Forum including a major temple. When it came time to stage a play, a

wooden platform was built in the Forum.  The actors were all men. Each actor played several roles. They wore simple costumes that could

be changed quickly and in public. The actors held up happy face masks and sad faced masks, to help the audience understand what was going on in the play. Over time, masks became very elaborate. Actors were not highly respected in ancient Rome. It could be a dangerous

occupation. When the Romans saw a play they did not like, they shouted at the actors and told them to get off the stage. If they did not

get off the stage, the audience might begin to throw things at them. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tali Tali, commonly known today as Knucklebones, was perhaps the most popular game played among the Romans.They made them from brass, silver, gold, ivory, marble, wood, bone, bronze, glass,

terracotta, and precious gems.The four sides of the tali were inscribed with symbols, perhaps Roman numerals, and each had a different value of 1, 3, 4, or 6. Four tali were dropped from a

moderate height over a gaming table or the ground.In the case of tying values, poker-like rules prevail, that is, a triple beats a pair,

but two pair beat a triple.In a version played by the Emperor Augustus, anyone throwing the Dogs put 4 coins in the pot, and

the first player to throw a Venus would take all.SCORING RULES FOR TALI :

(1,3,4,6) :Venus -- all four tali with different sides.(6,6,6,4) : Total = 22(6,6,6,3) : Total = 21(6,6,4,4) : Total = 20(6,6,6,1) : Total = 19 (high)(6,6,4,3) : Total = 19(6,6,3,3) : Total = 18(6,6,4,1) : Total = 17(6,6,3,1) : Total = 16(4,4,4,3) : Total = 15(6,6,1,1) : Total = 14 (high)(4,4,3,3) : Total = 14(4,4,4,1) : Total = 13(4,4,3,1) : Total = 12(4,3,3,1) : Total = 11(4,4,1,1) : Total = 10 (high)(3,3,3,1) : Total = 10(4,3,1,1) : Total = 9(3,3,1,1) : Total = 8(4,1,1,1) : Total = 7(3,1,1,1) : Total = 6(6,x,x,x) : Senio -- a single six and anything(6,6,6,6) : Vultures -- all four tali the same(4,4,4,4) : Vultures -- all four tali the same(3,3,3,3) : Vultures -- all four tali the same(1,1,1,1) : Dogs -- lowest of the Vultures

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The ColosseumAncient Romans gathered to watch bloody combat between gladiators, and battles between men and wild animals in the

Colosseum. To see men being killed was very entertaining to the Romans. On occasion, they even flooded the Colosseum with

water, to hold naval battles.The fights usually lasted until one of the opponents had killed the other. The Colosseum could seat 45,000 spectators, however if you didn't mind standing, the

Colosseum could hold up to 70,000 spectators! 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Bibliography• "Circus Maximus." Vroma. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://

www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html>.

• Donn, Mr. "The Circus Maximus." Mr. Donn's Social Studies Site. Mr. Donn, n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://rome.mrdonn.org/circus.html>.

• - - -. "The Colosseum." Mr. Donn's Social Studies Site. Mr. Donn, n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://rome.mrdonn.org/colosseum.html>.

• - - -. "Roman Theatre & Pantomime." Mr. Donn's Social Studies Site. Mr. Donn, n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://rome.mrdonn.org/theatre.html>.

• Kowalski, Wally. "Roman Board Games; Tali & Tropa." AbleOne Education Network. AbleMedia, n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/boardgames6.html>.

• "Unknown." The Garden of Eaden. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-roman-colosseum.html>.

• "Unknown." Theater Costumes. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2013. <http://theatercostumes.webs.com/ancienttimes.htm>.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013