Although gladiatorial spectacles in ancient Rome have been the subject of a great
deal of recent scholarly literature, comparatively little attention has been paid to the
contemporary animal spectacles and staged beast-hunts (venationes), the events most
closely associated with gladiatorial combat in the imperial period. A number of different
works have dealt with such topics as the origins and organization of gladiatorial combat
in ancient Rome, but relatively few scholars have attempted to address similar questions
concerning the venationes. Only a single monograph in English, written approximately
60 years ago, has been produced on the phenomenon of Roman animal spectacles.
The purpose of .this thesis is to give a comprehensive account of Roman
venationes and animal displays, incorporating, in certain cases, evidence that has only
recently become available or has largely been overlooked by previous scholars. A wide
variety of evidence will be used in this study, ranging from literary sources to
archaeological data. The paper will trace the historical development of these spectacles,
from Republican displays staged in imitation of contemporary Greek events, to the beasthunts
of the Byzantine empire. Another major focus of the thesis will be the
infrastructure and organization behind Roman animal spectacles, in particular the
methods by which the Romans captured and transported the large numbers of animals
necessary for events staged throughout the empire.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/12978 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Epplett, William Christopher |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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