Entertainment in Rome was no doubt one of the most, if not the most important aspect of Roman Society. "Ludi", which in aincient Rome were forms of free entertainment at the expense of the state. There were three different kinds, ludi scaenici ,which was dramatic entertainment performed in a theater, munera gladiatoria, gladiator exhibitions performed in an amphitheater, and ludi circenses, exhibitions in a circus, including chariot races.
The first form of entertainment that I am going to talk about are plays. Races and gladiator shows were more popular than the plays. There were four kinds of dramatic performances, Comedies, Tragedies, and the two most popular, Farces and Pantomines.
Since Roman theaters had no lighting facilities, plays were given during daytime. The average comedy required around two hours.
Each performance group had a manager, who was in charge of the actors. Gray wigs represented old men, Black wigs represented young men, and Red wigs represented slaves. A manager usually rewarded his actors with a free dinner when a performance was successful. By the time of Pompey the Great, many theaters were being built. Pompey built the first permanent theater in Campus Martius in 55 B.C., this theater was known as Pompey's Theater.
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The second aspect of Roman entertainment were the ludi circenses, or simply shows given is a ring. The only requirement to put on the chariot races was that there was a long piece of ground located somewhere in the circus. A couple of places were chariot races were held were the Circus Maximus and Circus Flaminius.
The name arena is derived from the word harena meaning sand. All arenas where covered by sand, and had seats and barriers surrounding them. Since the speed was not a great factor in Roman races the sand, the shortness of the stretches, and sharp turns did not create any kind of discomfort. Most Roman circus races, consisted of 7 laps, the distance did vary from arena to arena.
