Identifier: historyofrome00myer (find matches)
Title: A history of Rome
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Myers, P. V. N. (Philip Van Ness), 1846-1937
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Publisher: Boston, New York (etc.) Ginn and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Fig. s: Gladiators. (From anancient mosaic) 186 SOCIAL LIFE (§ 198 officials and commanders arranged such spectacles in order to curry-favor with the masses; magistrates were expected to give them inconnection with the public festivals; the heads of aspiring familiesprovided them in order to acquire social position ; wealthy citizensprepared them as an indispensable feature of a fashionable banquet;the children — catching the spirit of their elders — imitated them intheir plays. The rivalries between ambitious leaders during the later years ofthe Republic tended greatly to increase the number of gladiatorialshows, as liberality in arranging these spectacles was a sure passport
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Fig. 54. Semicircular Dining-couch. (From a Pompeian wall painting) to popular favor. It was reserved for the emperors, however, to ex-hibit them on a truly imperial scale. Titus, upon the dedication ofthe Flavian amphitheater, provided games, mostly gladiatorial com-bats, that lasted one hundred days. Trajan celebrated his victorieswith shows that lasted still longer, in the progress of which tenthousand gladiators fought upon the arena, and more than tenthousand wild beasts were slain.1 198. Luxury. By luxury, as we shall use the word, we meanextravagant and self-indulgent living. This vice seems to have beenalmost unknown in early Rome. The primitive Romans were menof frugal habits, who, like Manius Curius Dentatus (sect. 77), foundcontentment in poverty and disdained riches. 1 For the suppression of the gladiatorial games, see sect. 165. §199) STATE DISTRIBUTION OF CORN 187 A great change, however, as we have seen, passed over Romansociety after the conquest of the East and the d

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