The games in Rome had multiple facets to their use; they were used as a political tool by the elite, a social control, and an exemplar of Roman power. The elite were the primary benefactors of the games as they were able to make use of them as sources of popularity and be able to build political careers from their popularity with the masses.

The games (known as munera and/or ludi) themselves were a development from funerary service in which games such as chariot racing were used to honor and display the importance of the deceased. From this the games began to develop into the system of hunts, executions, and matched pairs for which Rome is so famous. Wealthy families began to use the games as a political platform from which they could gain recognition for their contribution to Roman society and to the Roman people. The Roman value of liberalitas was the need for a Roman man to give of his wealth to the public, hence the term munera was used to refer to personally funded games, the duty to provide to the state and the people of Rome.

Roman men of political age used the games to display their virtue through their display of giving to the state and as well, gaining the recognition of the public at large for his display of games. The games provided the perfect venue for a younger politician to gain the recognition needed to attain a higher post such as the office of praetor or consul. One of the posts more sought after by Roman politicians was the office of Aedile as those who held the office were responsible for Rome’s public works and, more importantly, the ludi. This granted them the necessary exposure to gain popularity and connections within the Roman political system. Julius Caesar exemplifies the role of the aedile as he utilized the responsibilities of the role to great effect, making himself a popular favorite through his extraordinarily large and elaborate games (naval battles in the amphitheatre comes to mind).

After the demise of the Republic and its replacement with the Empire, the role of the aedile was combined with that of the emperor, however, the use of games as a means for political and social advancement. The games themselves became the sole purview of the emperor however a member of the political elite could sponsor the games and gain political and social favor however the emperor was the official source of the games. This validated and empowered the emperor as one who was loved by the people of Rome, however this power of popularity was a major point of contention amoung the Roman elite. Those who gained such popularity were looked down upon because they used such methods as pleasing the crowd to gain favour. Senaca rebukes Pompey the Great for such dramatic and excessive displays of wealth in the arena through the display and slaughter of elephant’s in the arena.

Does it serve any useful purpose to know that Pompey was the first to exhibit the slaughter of eighteen elephants in the Circus, pitting criminals against them in a mimic battle? He, a leader of the state and one who, according to report, was conspicuous among the leaders of old for the kindness of his heart, thought it a notable kind of spectacle to kill human beings after a new fashion. Do they fight to the death? That is not enough! Are they torn to pieces? That is not enough! Let them be crushed by animals of monstrous bulk! Better would it be that these things pass into oblivion lest hereafter some all-powerful man should learn them and be jealous of an act that was nowise human. O, what blindness does great prosperity cast upon our minds! When he was casting so many troops of wretched human beings to wild beasts born under a different sky, when he was proclaiming war between creatures so ill matched, when he was shedding so much blood before the eyes of the Roman people, who itself was soon to be forced to shed more. He then believed that he was beyond the power of Nature. But later this same man, betrayed by Alexandrine treachery, offered himself to the dagger of the vilest slave, and then at last discovered what an empty boast his surname was.

The games served as a means to develop political acumen and prominence however the use of such games to excess and simply pleasing the crowd was seen as disreputable and unbecoming of a statesman.

The arena was also used as a form of social control by way of seating and arrangement of those within the arena. The seating arrangement guided the view of the Roman public as those who were seated closer to the arena were of greater import than those relegated to the highest seats. Those seated nearest the emperor were displayed as the most important and prominent individuals while those relegated to the top seats were the average citizen, of little import to the equestrians and senatorial classes. In this way roman society was stratified and depicted for all to see with a breach in protocol readily noticeable. Martial discusses the lack of social protocol observation as well as the organization of the colosseum in his epigrams.

You used to wear garments of the colour of grass, Bassus, while the laws concerning the seats in the theatre were a dead letter. But since the care of a discreet censor has bid them revive, and the knight, more certain of his position, obeys the directions of Oceanus, you shine forth m a garb dyed either with saffron-colour or vermilion, and think you deceive others by such a dress. No cloak, Bassus, is worth four hundred thousand sesterces, or, before all men, my friend Cordus would have been a knight.

Here Martial discusses how the individual Bassus, when seating was more strict, wore a commoners clothing, however, he now wears a cloak befitting a noble. Martial lambasts his attempt to appear greater by saying that no matter what cloak he wears, he cannot so easily rise to a more important rank.

Nanneius, having been always accustomed to sit in the front row, at the time when anybody was allowed to take a place, moved his quarters, after being twice or thrice requested to do so, yet still seated himself on the benches of the knights, almost immediately behind Caius and Lucius. Thence for awhile, with his head shrouded in a hood, he remains a spectator of the games; ungracefully peeping with but one eye. Being again ejected, the unhappy wight crossed to the standing way, and, leaning over the end of a seat, half kneeling, he endeavoured to make it appear to the knights that he was sitting, and to Leitus that he was standing.

Here Martial shows how those of a rank not allowed to sit in the primary rows in the Colosseum was ejected. The stratum of Roman society was maintained meticulously within the arena to maintain and promote the social order.

The games themselves were also used as a means of entertaining and controlling the crowd as the happier the masses were, the less likely any chance of revolt of social unrest. The maintenance of a blood sport to slake the thirst for excitement of the Roman public allowed the patricians to maintain a hold over society as they were the providers of the games and providers of many gifts through the games.

The Colosseum became, in essence, a microcosm of the Roman Empire. For within the walls and seats of the arena, a citizen of Orme could see tigers from India, elephants from Africa, bears from Northern Europe along with many other sights. The gladiators displayed the wars of Rome, traditional combatants competing against the might of Rome, e.g. the Hoplomacus as a Greek Hoplite, the Thraex as a Thracian, the Samnite as a representative of the Samnites. Along with a depiction of the size and power of the empire, it also displayed justice through the executions of prisoners. The prisoners were often executed in representation of a historical event or a Roman legend, further reinforcing the norms of society as a criminal was executed by tradition Roman justice.

The roman games were used as means to control and support the conservative order of the Roman Empire. It became an exemplar of traditional roman values of manliness both by the sponsors and by the combatants, with the sponsors displaying their generosity and the combatants showing their virtue in the face of battle.

Sources:

Martial’s Epigrams

Seneca’s Epistles

Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games by Roland Auguet

Dio Cassius’ Historia Romana