Everyday Life

 

The Roman Games

The two games that the Romans liked to watch the most were chariot racing and gladiator fights.  Chariot races were the most popular of all.

 

A racing chariot was a small two-wheeled cart, pulled by fast horses . Racing was very dangerous and riders often fell off and were killed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Original Gladiators
Gladiators were slaves  or prisoners  made to fight each other, or wild animals , in front of crowds. These fights were a part of events called "the games". They took place in huge open-air buildings called ampitheatres.  At the end of a gladiator fight the emperor would often give a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down" signal. This was to show whether he wanted the loser to live or to die.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

A Roman Theatre

Roman plays were sometimes copied from Greek ones. There were two types: tragedies and comedies. A tragedy was a play with a sad end. A comedy had a happy ending.  The actors wore masks so that it was easy to tell who they were playing from far away. It must have been difficult to see much from the back seats anyway.  Snacks were on sale at big events, they were usually different kinds of fruit or vegetables.