Bread and Circuses...

[endlessrarities]

A milestone was reached at work today.  The Big Mean Nasty press house, which has 77 rooms in all, and which has been haranguing me for what seems like an eternity, has finally been surveyed. 

Thank God for that.

To Pompeii now.  And that iconic structure, the amphitheatre.

One thing disappointed me at Pompeii.  It's a marvel of structural preservation, to be sure, but since all the artefacts and much of the artwork have been moved to Naples Archaeological Museum, the town feels a bit soulless.  It's had the guts carved out of it, which makes it quite hard to envisage how its inhabitants actually lived out their lives there.

Reconstruction of interiors on such a massive scale is unworkable.  So I'll try and help a little by trying to knit together some of the artwork with the appropriate monuments.  I find the dislocation between 'art' and architecture disturbing - seeing row upon row of disembodied frescoes, mosaics, and vases without any explanation of their context just depresses me.

I'll open with a fresco.  It shows the amphitheatre at Pompeii, and it's a commemorative piece which records a riot which took place there in AD 59, between the residents of Pompeii and the denizens of nearby Nuceria.  In a scene reminsicent of modern football disorder, the inhabitants of the respective areas used sporting rivalries to disguise deeper, underlying social differences.  The resulting brawl was so serious that the Emperor Nero banned the games for ten years:-

 

The Naples Archaeological Museum Guide Catalogue helpfully tells us that this particular fresco comes from  the peristyle of 'a house', which doesn't help to put it back in context, but at least there's no mistaking the building that's being illustrated here:-

 
 

It must have been a terrifying moment when the fighting spilled out from within the amphitheatre and into the city streets, but it's hard to believe that these events ever took place from the tranquil atmosphere of the area as it is today:-
 

 

It's also hard to imagine the thoughts of an unfortunate individual destined to make his way (or her way - there's increasing evidence of gladiatorial combat carried out by women) out into the arena, facing the hostility of wild beasts or their fellow gladiators, while a crowd of Roman onlookers looked on, baying for blood...

 

Bleaugh.  It's not what I call fun.  Much as I dislike football (and footballers' wages) I must admit that it's a big step forward from this.

At least the architecture's nice...

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Interesting to see an amphitheatre that's better preserved than the one I'm familiar with in Caerleon. They look about the same size though, which is interesting.

Romans must have really liked their blood thirsty games though because there's a small amphitheatre not far from here at Trawsfynydd. It was only really a Roman camp, not a city and not even a barracks on the scale of Caerleon, but it seems they needed their entertainment. I wonder what the locals thought of it?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Most of the time, it seems to have had a remarkably cohesive effect... But obviously not all of the time, if the Pompeii example is anything to go by!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

OMG it's hoooooooooge!

Well I suppose it's similar to the Chester one, but half of that is underground and you don't have the scary monster entrance. It looks like a mouth :-/

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, Chester!

We saw a bunch of Roman re-enactors there, practising their drill. They inspired my husband to start inventing a Romano-British sitcom (no, it wasn't along the lines of Chelmsford 123)

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

I've been there! I haven't been to the museum in Naples, though, so it's fascinating to see the fresco. Thanks!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I visited that museum! Everything just fell into place...

[technophobe1975.livejournal.com]

You are right, it looks so calm and peaceful there now, but just imagine the sights those walls have seen...

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

You do wonder just decides to have a picture of a riot in their house. You can just imagine the household patriarch complaining abut there being too much violence on today's walls. "And those kids just sit and stare at it all day..."

[clairehawthorn.livejournal.com]

I love that fresco. Seeing it makes the structure of the amphitheatre come alive for me, yet the concept of death as sport seems inconceivable.....

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Bloody it may have been but there's also evidence of successful gladiators having very long careers and surviving to spend the ill gotten gains.

It was the 'ultra' fan base which became politicised and caused riots-true of chariot racing also. Does this sound at all familiar?

I tend to compare gladitorial combat to the circus which is modern all in wrestling- choreographed and fixed although undoubtedly death did occur. These people were too valuable a merchandising opportunity and too valuable a commodity to kill off too many.

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

Interesting to see the picture and then the ampitheatre. Bummer that Pompei has been mostly gutted. I know it's for preservation and all that, but it would be nicer to see even replicas or something instead of empty streets/houses I bet.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

The soul has definitely been ripped out of the place. The contrast between the buildings where the artworks have been preserved (or restored) in situ is incredible. The forum baths and the Villa of the Mysteries (and the brothel) are head and shoulders above much of the rest of the site, because they're colourful, and artistic, and because they convey the impression that their inhabitants just popped out a minute ago.