The Day Commodus Killed A Rhino

Author : Jerry Toner
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421415860
Total Pages : 145 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Day Commodus Killed a Rhino written by Jerry Toner and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman Emperor Commodus wanted to kill a rhinoceros with a bow and arrow, and he wanted to do it in the Colosseum. For fourteen days near the end of AD 192, the emperor mounted one of the most lavish gladiatorial games Rome had ever seen. People rushed from all over Italy to witness the spectacle. Why did Roman rulers spend vast resources on such over-the-top displays? Why did the Roman rabble enjoy watching the slaughter of animals and the sight of men fighting to the death? In this book, Jerry Toner set out to answer these questions by describing what it would have been like to attend Commodus' fantastic shows.

Author : Jerry Toner
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421415879
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Day Commodus Killed a Rhino written by Jerry Toner and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2015-01-05 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ancient times, the Roman games—that heady cocktail of mass slaughter, gladiatorial combat, and chariot racing—made strong political, social, and cultural statements. The Roman emperor Commodus wanted to kill a rhinoceros with a bow and arrow, and he wanted to do it in the Colosseum. Commodus’s passion for hunting animals was so fervent that he dreamt of shooting a tiger, an elephant, and a hippopotamus; his prowess was such that people claimed he never missed when hurling his javelin or firing arrows from his bow. For fourteen days near the end of AD 192, the emperor mounted one of the most lavish and spectacular gladiatorial games Rome had ever seen. Commodus himself was the star attraction, and people rushed from all over Italy to witness the spectacle. But this slaughter was simply the warm-up act to the main event: the emperor was also planning to fight as a gladiator. Why did Roman rulers spend vast resources on such over-the-top displays—and why did some emperors appear in them as combatants? Why did the Roman rabble enjoy watching the slaughter of animals and the sight of men fighting to the death? And how best can we in the modern world understand what was truly at stake in the circus and the arena? In The Day Commodus Killed a Rhino, Jerry Toner set out to answer these questions by vividly describing what it would have been like to attend Commodus’ fantastic shows and watch one of his many appearances as both hunter and fighter. Highlighting the massive logistical effort needed to supply the games with animals, performers, and criminals for execution, the book reveals how blood and gore were actually incidental to what really mattered. Gladiatorial games played a key role in establishing a forum for political debate between the rulers and the ruled. Roman crowds were not passive: they were made up of sophisticated consumers with their own political aims, which they used the games to secure. In addition, the games also served as a pure expression of what it meant to be a true Roman. Drawing on notions of personal honor, manly vigor, and sophisticated craftsmanship, the games were a story that the Romans loved to tell themselves about themselves.

Author : Adrienne Mayor
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1590203747
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.43/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs written by Adrienne Mayor and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-12-30 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A comprehensive look at WMD's antecedents, from flamethrowers of the Peloponnesian War to plague-bearing booby traps.... Rich and entertaining." -Newsweek Featuring a new introduction by the author. Flamethrowers, poison gases, incendiary bombs, the large-scale spreading of disease... are these terrifying agents and implements of warfare modern inventions? Not by a long shot. Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs will catapult readers into the dark and fascinating realm of ancient war and mythic treachery-and their devastating consequences.

Author : Thomas Vance Cohen
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
ISBN 13 : 9780802076991
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome written by Thomas Vance Cohen and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The social historian, searching for the basis of a culture, often turns to a study of ordinary people. Perhaps one of the most revealing places to find them is in a court of law. In this presentatoin of nine criminal trials of sixteenth-century Rome (1540-75), where magistrates kept verbatim records, Thomas and Elizabeth Cohen paint a lively portrait of a society, one that is reminiscent of Boccaccio. These stories, however, are true. Each trial transcript is followed by an essay that interprets the beliefs, codes, everyday speech, and personal transactions of a world that is radically different from our own. The people on trial include assassins, a spell-caster, an exorcist, an adulterous wife, several courtesans, and the peasant cast of a bawdy, sacrilegious play. Out of their often pognant troubles, and their machinations, comes a vivid revelation of not only the tumultuous street life of Rome but also rituals of honour, the power and weakness of women, and the realities of social and economic hierarchies. Like cinema-verite, Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome gives us an intimate glimpse of a people and their world.

Author : Nathan T. Elkins
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421432560
Total Pages : 179 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Monument to Dynasty and Death written by Nathan T. Elkins and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Go behind the scenes to discover why the Colosseum was the king of amphitheaters in the Roman world—a paragon of Roman engineering prowess. Early one morning in 80 CE, the Colosseum roared to life with the deafening cheers of tens of thousands of spectators as the emperor, Titus, inaugurated the new amphitheater with one hundred days of bloody spectacles. These games were much anticipated, for the new amphitheater had been under construction for a decade. Home to spectacles involving exotic beasts, elaborate executions of criminals, gladiatorial combats, and even—when flooded—small-scale naval battles, the building itself was also a marvel. Rising to a height of approximately 15 stories and occupying an area of 6 acres—more than four times the size of a modern football field—the Colosseum was the largest of all amphitheaters in the Roman Empire. In A Monument to Dynasty and Death, Nathan T. Elkins tells the story of the Colosseum's construction under Vespasian, its dedication under Titus, and further enhancements added under Domitian. The Colosseum, Elkins argues, was far more than a lavish entertainment venue: it was an ideologically charged monument to the new dynasty, its aspirations, and its achievements. A Monument to Dynasty and Death takes readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Colosseum from the subterranean tunnels, where elevators and cages transported gladiators and animals to the blood-soaked arena floor, to the imperial viewing box, to the amphitheater's decoration and amenities, such as fountains and an awning to shade spectators. Trained as an archaeologist, an art historian, and a historian of ancient Rome, Elkins deploys an interdisciplinary approach that draws on contemporary historical texts, inscriptions, archaeology, and visual evidence to convey the layered ideological messages communicated by the Colosseum. This engaging book is an excellent resource for classes on Roman art, architecture, history, civilization, and sport and spectacle.

Author : Steele Brand
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN 13 : 1421429861
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.61/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Killing for the Republic written by Steele Brand and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping political and cultural history, Killing for the Republic closes with a compelling argument in favor of resurrecting the citizen-soldier ideal in modern America.

Author : Somers Clarke
Publisher : Courier Corporation
ISBN 13 : 0486264858
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ancient Egyptian Construction and Architecture written by Somers Clarke and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1990-01-01 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides description and analysis of Egyptian building practices.

Author : Joseph J. Walsh
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN 13 : 1421433710
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.14/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Fire of Rome written by Joseph J. Walsh and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Readers interested in ancient (and modern) Rome, urban life, and civic disasters, among other things, will be fascinated by this book.

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004405151
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.58/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Cassius Dio and the Late Roman Republic written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-08-26 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cassius Dio and the Late Roman Republic offers new understandings of Dio’s late republican narrative both as a well-informed historical source and a skillful narrative informed by the rich tradition of Greco-Roman history writing.

Author : Debra Hamel
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM
ISBN 13 : 1421416824
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Battle of Arginusae written by Debra Hamel and published by Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM. This book was released on 2015-06-25 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Athenian triumph against Sparta end in disaster and infamy in this naval history of Ancient Greece in the 5th century B.C. Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, nearly three hundred Athenian and Spartan ships fought a pivotal skirmish in the Arginusae Islands. Larger than any previous naval battle between warring Greeks, the Battle of Arginusae was a crucial win for Athens. Its aftermath, however, was a major disaster for its people. Due to numerous factors, the Athenian commanders abandoned the crews of twenty-five disabled ships. Thousands of soldiers were left clinging to wreckage and awaiting help that never came. When the failure was discovered back home, the eight generals in charge were deposed. Two fled into exile, while the other six were tried and executed. In The Battle of Arginusae, historian Debra Hamel describes the violent battle and its horrible aftermath. Hamel introduces readers to Athens and Sparta, the two thriving superpowers of the fifth century B.C. She provides a summary of the events that caused the long war and discusses the tactical intricacies of Greek naval warfare. Recreating the claustrophobic, unhygienic conditions in which the ships’ crews operated, Hamel unfolds the process that turned this naval victory into one of the most infamous chapters in the city-state’s history.