Roman Art from the Louvre Educators' Resource Guide

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10 Leisure Associated with the notion of free time—otium the Latin word for a Greek concept and loosely translated as “leisure”—was originally viewed as a privileged interlude for paying homage to the gods and was associated with festival days in early Rome. The calendar of festivals was punctuated with games (ludi), which initially had a sacred aspect and were offered as a tribute to the great gods. There were both theatrical performances (ludi scaenici) and circus games (ludi circenses). Theatrical performances and circus and amphitheater games were conducted in honor of the gods and fallen heroes and sometimes even incorporated an altar. These events became the main sources of entertainment for Romans. As their popularity increased, emperors organized them for political purposes, and magistrates seeking to increase their popularity held them as well. The Baths Everyday life for most Romans involved going to the baths. These large public complexes built by the emperors consisted of a series of warm and cold pools and steam rooms heated by an advanced engineering technique that allowed hot vapor to circulate through holes between walls and flooring. People of all ages and from all classes mingled freely while moving through the complex. Instead of soap, the Romans used oil, which was rubbed into the skin and then scraped off with a tool called a strigil. Roman Theater Theatrical performances were originally held in the circus or forum or in front of a temple on a temporary wooden stage. In 55 B.C., Pompey—a distinguished military and political leader—ordered the construction of the first stone theater in Rome, and his example was rapidly followed throughout the empire. Soon every town had its own theater. Initially, the Roman repertory drew inspiration from its Etruscan and Greek predecessors, with many Roman playwrights adapting and translating their works from Greek. In the imperial era, Romans developed a body of work that was based on mime (mimus) and pantomime. In the mimus, dramatic plays presented both male and female actors without masks in often romanticized stories of everyday life, with prose dialogue. This genre evolved into popular, crude comic plays that were sometimes tinged with social satire. Pantomime, which first appeared during Augustus’s reign, featured a single masked actor who played and danced all of the roles. The dialogue was sung by a chorus accompanied by an orchestra, and plots were drawn from both mythology and daily life. The actors were slaves or freedmen.
11 Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus, a massive oval-shaped arena in Rome, was used primarily for chariot and mounted horse races, but other competitive events, including foot races and wrestling matches, were also held there. Romans adored chariot racing, and fans gathered in the Circus Maximus to watch their favorite drivers and teams race at dangerous speeds around the course. Races were rough, and drivers (slaves or freedmen) were frequently killed or seriously injured. According to literary tradition, one such competition played an essential role in Rome’s legendary history. In the midst of the games he had organized, Romulus ordered the rape of the Sabine women—women from an ancient Italian tribe that lived northeast of Rome—to ensure the perpetuation of the Roman people. Drawing of the Circus Maximus. Courtesy Jean- Claude Golvin. © 2007 The Circus Maximus was built as early as the sixth century B.C. in the valley between the Palatine and the Aventine Hills—two of the seven hills on which Rome was built. It is impressive for its vast dimensions (1,902 by 260 feet) and its capacity of 250,000 spectators, which made it the largest structure in the empire. The Amphitheater A specialized outdoor stadium, the amphitheater was reserved for gladiator combats and wild animal hunts. Gladiators were trained warriors—mostly male slaves, condemned criminals, or Christians—who fought other gladiators or animals to the death. Although the fights were notoriously violent and bloody, they were hugely popular. Widely represented in Roman art, these spectacles were the result of private initiatives. Magistrates very soon began to sponsor them in a quest for popularity, as did the emperor himself. Religion The Roman world was a rich universe of highly sophisticated cultures ruled over by the gods of Greece, Etruria, and the East, as well as Yahweh, the God of Israel, and later Jesus Christ. To create unity in the world they had conquered, Romans had to address all aspects of the divine. Rome’s religion therefore had to be polytheistic and syncretic—encompassing a variety of deities.
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Page 45 and 46: 43 Kleiner, Diane E.E. Roman Sculpt

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