Introduction
Munera was an ancient repetitive Rome game which involved gladiators. Rome was a known ancient entertainment city in the world engaging in many forms of entertainment and games, which included Munera. The significance of manure was that of brutal entertainment of the emperors and the crowd's thirst of blood. The games had social significance and were a means of communication and sacrificial rituals. The paper seeks to approach Munera games as a text and bring to light clear implications of the games. Focusing on the way Munera was used as sacrificial rituals, funeral and also as a representation of masculinity in Rome. The paper will focus on explaining the significance of the game in the Roman empire in terms of social political and economic realms.
Munera games were held in an open area with the popularity of the games being in paintings and designs on large walls showing the gladiators. Many people perceive Munera game from a fascinating point of view, or with pure disgust and horror the long dried and pools of gladiator blood were a common feature in the game. Different groups of people consisting of researchers, historians and early scribes analyzed the game and came up with different ways of explaining the significance of the game. The most profound ways included; munera games being used for social entertainment; as a sign of power and authority and as a sign of behavior between the Roman people and their leaders. This brings to light the significance of the game in the political, cultural and social life of the ancient Roman empire.
Some Researchers considered Munera games as a form of human sacrifice, which is degrading to humanity. However the modern world looks at the games from an amusing point of view classifying the rulers as depraved and viewers as blood thirsty people. Christians view munera games in Rome as violent and brutal games, which are extremely unfair to human kind. Epics and novels made on Rome games such s quo Vadis will forever depict the image of Rome stained with arena blood. Studies and researches have shown that munera games in Rome were used as a ritual sign. Researchers described the ritual as a cultural behavior, which has lost its meaning with time. However, munera were used as a means of communication. Looking at munera games as a unique form of communication creates a language for the game, which exposed the game to new methods of interpretation.
According to research done, in Rome games were used as a source of entertainment and amusement of a corrupt society. Also, games were used for manipulation purpose by a powerful few wishing to impress and at the same time intimidate the public. Various historical studies show that gladiators viewed the munera games as a twisted brutal form of sport used by the Romans emperor which depicted their brutality and disrespect for human life. The games and gladiators provide a description of life in Rome including their religious rituals and manly power which was highly valued. Gladiator games in Rome were not only expressed from the political realms of the emperors, but also used as an expression of Rome’s citizens’ commitment.
Gladiators were the slaves who were used in munera games, in Rome. They consisted; slaves, prisoners and condemned criminals. Research shows that gladiators were people taken not in their own free will, making the game cruel to humanity. However, there were few people who volunteered to become gladiators for rewards, excitement and fame. The Rome people looked down upon people who became gladiators as they were described as unrespectable people in the society. Gladiators were made to make an oath of accepting violence and whatever fate that would befall them. This disguised what was considered an act of involuntary to voluntary. The Roman leaders enticed the gladiators by according special treatment to winners of the fight who became guards for wealthy people in Rome and trainers for the rest of the gladiators. Christian researchers have condemned the game describing it as the peak of corrupt morals of the Roman emperors who led the contest for their amusement.
The game was introduced in Rome around 264BCE as an honor of Julius Brutus Pera death by his sons. The game was performed as a form of funeral ritual. However, research shows that the game was not always used in funeral ceremonies since other form of games were also used. Munera games were used in honor of the death of an important person especially in power. With time, the game lost its meaning, especially at the end of the emperor as it was used for numerous events, which were not initially considered. People in high ranks used the game for their own selfish ambitions of creating popularity by sponsoring the game. Powerful individuals in Rome used munera games to manipulate others which was clearly shown by leaders such as Julius Caesar. For example, he decided to hold the game in honor of his daughter who had died eight years ago. The use of munera for personal goals became a problem in Rome leading to a law being instituted to curb the problem.
Various researches show that in the last decades of the Roman emperor munera had changed its function and face completely. Rome had lost its zeal in maintaining or bringing to life the real purpose of the gladiator games. The Romans had long developed a taste for violence and brutality as a means of entertainment led by their political leaders. Looking at the study that goes back to 44BCE, Julius Ceaser death, is honored by the senate house that all games carried out in Italy and Rome would add one day dedicated to him. The munera games in Rome were misused by people in high rank because they were privately sponsored.
In 42BCE munera was included in the ludi which was a Christian event and within no time they became alike. Munera in Rome included the destruction and killing of animals for entertainment. As the number of armed gladiators increased animals of exotic type were also acquired. Due to the proliferation of these demeaning games, which included animals and human beings, the leaders had to broaden their frontiers to acquire more animals for the fight. The Roman leaders brought about changes which made the game centrally organized making the practice spread to all areas of the empire. High people in power outside Rome presented themselves as representatives of the emperor and conducted the games as a means of excising control and power. Communication within Rome, which came about as a result of the game had two directions. For example, the game did not only include the emperor's voice but also expressed people dissatisfactions on the behavior. Different leaders reacted differently towards the game. Various studies show that some leaders used excess power towards the munera games while others sought simplicity by even to end the gladiator games.
There has been numerous studies seeking to establish the main differences between sacrifices and games with the intent of expressing some games as rituals. The rituals carried out in Rome in honor of the dead fulfilled the purpose of petitioning for the person as well as that of expiatory. The rituals were mostly held during public events or even religious mass held by religious leaders. The rituals mainly comprising offering were of categories that involved blood and others which did not involve blood. The rituals, which offered blood, included the slaughter of animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, dogs and horses while offering that did not include blood included offerings of grains, honey, milk and wine.
Roman games vary widely in scope over the years. The games are repetitive leading to the establishment of a pattern which tries to maintain the ritual nature of the gladiator games in Rome. In Rome, a public celebration is held at night prior to the munera for the gladiators and other people involved in the game. Mosaics such as those from El Djem and Plutarch source give evidence of the banquets in Rome. The essence of the banquet was not to condemn the prisoner, but the meal was believed to have a cleansing effect which gave the gladiator perfection and physical purity as compared to animals. Scholars have shown that these games, which are considered as a sacrifice, started with a Pompa. The religious dimension of the practice is marked with pure disgust by Christian scholars criticizing pagan practices.
In the roman designated munera arena, animals were killed in Pompeii rituals, which were considered as religious rituals. The religious ritual with time turned bloody and vicious. The death of animals was changed from that of religious ritual to that of expression of power and courage. The sacrifice of animals in the arena was an expression of a society devoted to sacrifices and their successful passing on of their ritual abroad. After the ritual of animals came the midday executions in Rome. During the midday executions, gladiators’ lives became a commodity for demonstration of the Roman public. In Rome, the battles were referred to as fatal as they consisted untrained, frightened people. Scholars such as Coleman express that where mythology was considered, cultural means of exchange, ritual occurrence in the normal life could be mythological context set.
Coleman outlines executions carried out in Rome as humiliation, correction, retribution and deterrence. Coleman argues that the process of humiliation validates law processes by creating distance between the criminals and onlookers, thus reducing sympathy possibility. Scholars such as Poter express that before the actual fight began instruments of weapon were inspected and the recitation of an oath of the gladiators. After the check, fighters were matched against each other under supervision. This is based on epics on Rome stories leaving a stigma of inhumane acts being embedded in the history of the ancient Roman empire.
The oath taken by the gladiators was to give light to different angles of their status. Gladiators were people despised in the society as they came from lower class societies or were criminals sentenced to death. Through the oath, the gladiator ranked himself with what was considered noble. However, since his oath was taken willingly murder was charged as an action of mutual compliance. Gladiators’ also fulfilled the role of sacred executioner. It was also believed that through the death of a gladiator people were protected and purified. Studies show that gladiators were made to kill each other in public to show the courage of the Roman soldiers expressing Rome as a safe place. In these games, people in the banquet were provided with plenty of food which was symbolic to the communal food provided in sacrifice. A study has been carried out trying interpret the game and coming up with the ideas that roman games are intertwined with allusions to broad varied set of models. There are a number of idealized ideas models drawn from the game; sacrifice and funeral rituals, warfare and combat, socio-political class, entertaining and /penal code. Different models require broad explorations form from researchers to fill many gaps they create.
Research shows that Romans believed that the spirits of the dead were believed to be invoked by human blood. Involuntary people were sacrificed in funerals whereby they were placed to fight trained gladiators to death before the burial place of the person of honor. Their performance was supposed to bring joy and pleasure. With time, munera games changed to include few roman elites and nobles in pursuit of the glory of the arena.
Conclusion
The study on the munera in Rome has been fruitful. The above analysis brings to light that the gladiator games first began as ritual practices but later lost their course, since people in power started using them for their own selfish desires. Gladiator fights in Rome involved people who did not want to take part. People who took part in the game included slaves and sons of low class people through enticement with monetary rewards and status. Criminals according to the study done are seen to be put to outward public condemnation, with the intent of permanently separating them from the entire public. Munera was a repetitive ritual in Rome done for entertainment and not honoring purpose of the death. Powerful people manipulated the real meaning of the game in remembrance of their family members who had died many years ago and other personal reasons. Multitude of spectators in Rome drew pleasure in the blood and ultimate death of the gladiators in the arena. Gladiators are also seen to be manipulated through promises in case they win leading to people taking each other’s lives.
Roman games were complex, and they included the inclusion of various practices over time. The real reasons for munera are linked with sacrificial rituals and funerals. The games are seen to be a perverse way of entertainment which leads to manipulation of a fickle group of spectators for personal political self motives removing their justified purpose. Also, gladiators used in munera performed many roles and cannot be defined as mere entertainers of low class. When the gladiator emerged victorious he became a stand-in mourner. The gladiator removed bad qualities from a community such s fearlessness and selflessness that the soldiers in Rome were supposed to exhibit.
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