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7:22
Transcript
0:01
These days, there are no good seats at the
Colosseum.
0:04
In fact, thanks to centuries of enthusiastic
pillaging, there are no seats at all.
0:10
But when the amphitheater was whole, it had
places for more than 50,000 spectators.
0:16
During the great imperially-sponsored games,
when most of Rome’s million inhabitants
0:22
were competing for those 50,000 or so seats,
your chances of getting a good place in the
0:27
arena depended on who you were, who you know,
and how creatively you exploited both.
0:34
Like the other entries in my time traveler’s
guide to ancient Rome, this video provides
0:38
hypothetically practical advice to modern
tourists with the wherewithal to visit imperial
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0:44
Rome.
0:45
This time, we’ll explore how our hypothetical
time traveler could get a seat – and, with
0:50
a bit of maneuvering, a good seat – during
the games at the Colosseum.
0:54
First, a bit of background.
0:58
Seating in the Colosseum, like so much else
in the Roman world, was regimented by social
1:03
class.
1:04
The best seats, closest to the arena, were
reserved for the emperor, the Vestal Virgins,
1:10
and Senators.
1:11
This section, known as the podium, consisted
of marble terraces designed to carry the chairs
1:17
from which the elite surveyed the world.
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1:20
Every spectator in this privileged tier was
attended by at least one slave, who would
1:25
carry their chair, shield them from the sun,
and serve refreshments.
1:30
Above the podium was the Colosseum’s equivalent
of business class: tiers of wide marble seats
1:36
where members of the Equestrian order sat
in relative ease and comfort, separated from
1:40
the masses by a high stone wall.
1:44
The main seating section was above the Equestrians.
1:47
Here, row after row of narrow marble benches
held the bulk of the audience: all male, all
1:54
Roman citizens, all sweating in wool togas.
1:59
These seats were divided into dozens of sections
reserved for members of various guilds and
2:05
associations.
2:06
The highest and worst seats were located along
the rim of the perimeter wall, in the stifling
2:12
semi-darkness just below the awning that shielded
the arena from sun and rain.
2:17
In this section, slaves, women, and other
low-status spectators stood shoulder to shoulder
2:23
on tiers of rickety wooden planks, fifty meters
and a world away from the senators in their
2:29
padded seats.
2:30
Having reviewed how seating worked, we can
move on to the practicalities.
2:36
Gladiators only fought in the Colosseum about
a dozen times in an average year.
2:42
Time travelers who want to see the arena in
action should thus plan their visit to coincide
2:47
with Saturnalia, when the emperors almost
always put on a series of games.
2:52
Those with an appetite for the truly spectacular
should point their time machines toward 80
2:56
AD, when Titus dedicated the Colosseum with
a spectacular series of events, or toward
3:02
107 AD, when Trajan staged games that lasted
four months and featured no fewer than 5,000
3:08
pairs of gladiators.
3:10
Now, how to get tickets.
3:13
The tickets used in the Colosseum were known
as tesserae.
3:17
Sometimes, tesserae were specially-made tokens
of lead or ceramic.
3:22
Often, they were just shards of pottery.
3:24
Whatever form they took, they showed three
numbers: gate, section, and row.
3:31
On the day of the games, a spectator showed
his tessera to an attendant, who directed
3:35
him to the proper gate.
3:38
Ushers in the stands ensured that he sat in
the proper section and row.
3:42
The games held in the Colosseum were free.
3:45
Tesserae, however, were in limited supply.
3:47
Unlike modern tickets, they were not sold
or otherwise made available to the general
3:51
public.
3:52
Instead, they were given in blocks to important
individuals and guilds.
3:56
These men and organizations could then distribute
them as they wished to friends and clients.
4:02
Time travelers looking to get their hands
on a tessera have a few options.
4:07
Short of just stealing one, which would be
unwise for several reasons, all these options
4:12
begin with finding a well-connected Roman
friend.
4:16
If you’ve chosen your persona well – see
the first video in this series for more advice
4:20
on that critical topic – this will not be
difficult, since many members of the Roman
4:22
elite like to associate themselves with intriguing
foreigners.
4:24
After impressing a potential patron, ideally
over dinner – a topic that will be discussed
4:28
in a future video – time travelers will
usually have to do no more than gently suggest
4:34
that they would like to attend the coming
games.
4:38
The quality of the seat obtained through these
tactics will depend on the identity of your
4:42
patron and the nature of your chosen persona.
4:46
Many prominent Romans had access to both guest
seats in their own sections and client seats
4:52
in the less desirable stands high above.
4:55
You’ll only be given one of the cherished
guest seats if you manage to convince your
4:59
host that you are both fascinating and important.
5:03
One way of achieving this would be to hint
that you’re on some sort of diplomatic mission,
5:07
since ambassadors were customarily seated
with senators in the front rows.
5:12
A less risky strategy would be to simply present
yourself as a person of wealth and distinction
5:17
in your distant native land, and hope that
your patron wants to be seen with an exotic
5:22
visitor.
5:24
The best case scenario is a seat on the podium
beside the senators.
5:28
If you manage to pull this off, you’ll have
a superb vantage point both for watching the
5:33
action in the arena and for gawking at the
emperor, whose box was located among the senatorial
5:38
seats.
5:39
You can also look forward to a comfortable
chair, specially-prepared refreshments, and
5:43
fine wine.
5:45
If your seat is located in the Equestrian
section, you’ll still have plenty of leg
5:49
room.
5:50
But you’ll be sitting on hard marble, so
bring a seat cushion.
5:53
You’ll also have to bring your own food,
or be ready to order it during intermissions.
5:59
If your host decides that you are not in fact
important, and relegates you to the main seating
6:04
section with his other clients, you can count
on a narrow place on a narrow bench, where
6:10
you will be elbowed, kneed, and jostled for
the duration of the games.
6:15
If you value personal space, get ready for
a very long day.
6:20
Finally, if the only seat your host cares
to give you is located in the wooden benches
6:25
along the rim of the arena, be prepared to
stand all day, and know that, unless you have
6:31
exceptional eyesight, the action on the arena
will be almost invisible.
6:35
If this happens to you, I’d suggest time
traveling to a different era, finding a better
6:39
patron, and trying again.
6:41
As always, there’s more to say.
6:44
But in the interests of time, and since I’m
more than a little jet-lagged at the moment,
6:46
we’ll pause here.
6:47
I have a whole series of exciting videos planned
for the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
6:53
In the meantime, check out my forthcoming
book, Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War
6:58
Elephants, which provides prospective time
travelers with a great deal of useful information
7:02
for navigating the classical world.
7:05
Thanks for watching.
— end of transcript —
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