Rulers of ancient Rome found that the Roman masses could be contained and pacified through a state-sponsored supply of food and entertainment—Rome’s proverbial bread and circus. The so-called bread largely consisted of imported grain that the government doled out to the populace of Rome. Circuses, on the other hand, had more variety. These forms of public entertainment included athletic events, races, and blood sports, with chariot races and gladiator contests being two of the more famous and popular Roman pastimes. Yet, while these spectacles were effective at placating most Romans, not everyone was enthusiastic about the raucous events and the boisterous crowds. Pliny the Younger (c. 61/62-113), a wealthy lawyer, financial advisor, and administrative official of the Roman Empire, was one such person who was not fond of Rome’s spectator sports.
Pliny was a prolific writer of letters, which were preserved and later published. Through these letters, a reader can obtain an interesting glimpse into Pliny’s life and that of the affluent, scholarly, and legal circles of Roman society to which Pliny belonged. A talkative fellow with well-rounded interests, Pliny’s letters covered all sorts of goings-on in the empire, from law to literature, ghosts to gardening, agriculture to architecture, and science to sports, he had something to say about everything. In regard to the aforementioned sporting events, what he had to say was rarely positive.
For Pliny, a perfect day would likely be spent in an idyllic landscape environment at one of his countryside villas near Lake Como. He would probably use the time on that ideal day to read the latest writings produced by Roman authors, or otherwise pen down a speech, poem, or letter of his own to send to his many pen pals. If exercise or physical exertion occurred on that perfect day, it would likely be in the form of a hunting trip. Yet, even so, the hunt would likely not be the primary goal of the expedition. As Pliny told the famous historian Tacitus (c. 56/57-117):
“I was sitting by the hunting nets with writing materials by my side instead of hunting spears, thinking something out and making notes, so that even if I came home empty-handed I should have my notebooks filled. Don’t look down on my mental activity of this kind, for it is remarkable how one’s wits are sharpened by physical exercise; the mere fact of being alone in the depths of the woods in the silence necessary for hunting is a positive stimulus to thought. So next time you hunt yourself, follow my example and take your note-books along with your lunch-basket and flask; you will find that Minerva walks the hills no less than Diana” (Pliny the Younger, Letters, 1.6).
Suffice it to say, Pliny was a person drawn to tranquil environments and academic interests. Loud and brutish sporting events, in contrast, clashed with his tastes and sensibilities. He was dismissive, if not hostile, to public games and gladiator contests, and he was even involved to some extent in shutting down the Gymnastic Games in Vienna. On this, Pliny wrote, “I have just answered a summons to act as assessor to our noble Emperor during an inquiry he is holding on the gymnastic games at Vienna…It was decided to abolish the games at Vienna, for they had long been a corrupting influence in the town” (Pliny the Younger, Letters, 4.22). And don’t get Pliny started on chariot races—he had little regard for the racers, the fans, and the color-coded team factions involved in the sport. Pliny grumbled his complaints about Rome’s exuberant enthusiasm for chariot racing and its color factions in a letter to a certain Calvisius Rufus. Pliny vented:
“The races were on, a type of spectacle which has never had the slightest attraction for me. I can find nothing new or different in them: once seen is enough, so it surprises me all the more that so many thousands of adult men should have such a childish passion for watching galloping horses and drivers standing in chariots, over and over again. If they were attracted by the speed of the horses or the drivers’ skill one could account for it, but in fact it is the racing-colours they really support and care about, and if the colours were to be exchanged in mid-course during a race, they would transfer their favour and enthusiasm and rapidly desert the famous drivers and horses whose names they shout as they recognize them from afar. Such is the popularity and importance of a worthless shirt—I don’t mean with the crowd, which is worth less than the shirt, but with certain serious individuals. When I think how this futile, tedious, monotonous business can keep them sitting endlessly in their seats, I take pleasure in the fact that their pleasure is not mine. And I have been very glad to fill my idle hours with literary work during these days which others have wasted in the idlest of occupations” (Pliny the Younger, Letters, 9.6).
Pliny was more restrained when talking about gladiator contests. He did not criticize friends of his who funded gladiatorial shows. In fact, he complimented and encouraged some of them, as happened in the case of a certain pen pal named Maximus. Pliny told him, “You did well to put on a show of gladiators for our people of Verona…this kind of spectacle is particularly suitable for a funeral tribute. Moreover, the request came from so many people that a refusal would have been judged churlish rather than strong-minded on your part” (Letters, 6.34). Support for his friends’ decisions aside, Pliny personally would have spent his own money on something other than a gladiator contest. In particular, Pliny was proud that, rather than funding entertainment, he was instead using his wealth on altruistic projects like a public library for his home region of Comum, as well as funds and programs for people in need. This was explained in a letter to his friend, Pompeius Saturninus. Pliny wrote, “I had also to consider the fact that I was not paying for public games or a show of gladiators but making an annual contribution towards the maintenance of free-born children” (Letters, 1.8). Pliny, therefore, backed up his criticisms with actions. Instead of circus, Pliny’s vision of giving back to the community was one of libraries and charities.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Figure Study, possibly for The Grove of Academe, by Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911), [Public Domain, no known restrictions] via the Yale University Art Gallery and a terracotta plaque with Pelops, Hippodamia and a four-horse chariot, by a 1st century BCE-1st century CE Roman artist, [Public Domain] via the MET).
Sources:
- The Letters of Pliny the Younger, translated by Betty Radice. New York: Penguin Classics, 1963, 1969.
- https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Roman_Questions*/B.html
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Trajan
