Tales of the Colosseum Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venatores

People began arriving at the Colosseum about 8:00 in the morning. Each day the program of events following basically the same order. After the Opening Parade and the seating of dignitaries such as Vestal Virgins, important priests, politicians, senators, and the Emperor, the first event of the day involved the display of animals from all parts of the Roman Empire; then animal hunts called venationes would take place.

The hunters, called venatores, were people who specialized in stalking animals, although many times there was no stalking involved.

The animals would be killed as soon as they came out into the open. Some emperors would participate in the hunt from their special box, using a bow and arrow. It was written that the dedication of the Colosseum by the Emperor Titus in 80 AD lasted 100 days, during which time 5,000 wild animals including lions, ostriches, hippos, and crocodiles, were killed in ONE day. Of course, this was not the only event in the Colosseum that used wild animals.

Answer: Bestiarii

There were actually two types of bestiarri; one group was especially trained to handle the animals and actually fight against them as well. They usually fought with a knife or a spear. The other group consisted of criminals who were sentenced to death due to some sort of heinous crime; they did not have any special training, nor were they given any weapons to defend themselves.

In an account given by the Roman orator Cicero, one wild beast killed 200 of this type of bestiarii. The others who were trained sometimes were able to actually choose this type of profession; in fact, Augustus is said to have encouraged this.

The infamous Commodus, called the Roman Hercules, gained the nickname by participating in this type of spectacle. It was common practice for plants, props, and other scenery to be added to this form of entertainment.

Answer: Meridiani

Typically after the wild beast fights were concluded the meridiani would be next on the program. This occurred mid-day as their name implies. While it is known that the meridiani were lightly armed, there is no detailed description available as to what type of weapons or armor they used.

The purpose of this event was to execute Christians (after the persecutions began) and other condemned criminals; this type of gladiator did not have a very high status, as seen by the time of day in which he fought.

The "real" gladiatorial events began in the late afternoon to early evening. Horse racing typically followed after the meridiani event was completed.

Answer: Andabatae

Believe it or not, this event was viewed by the Romans as comical. Criminals would be given a weapon, but the helmet they had to wear had no eyeholes! It was like fighting blindfolded; sometimes they would even be given a horse to ride. How did they know where their opponent was located? Attendants in the Colosseum would make sure that they did not stray too far apart. An andabatae was expected to fight to the death; the attendants would burn those who fell to the floor with a hot iron to make sure they were dead or smash their heads.

This type of contest was used to keep the crowd entertained, perhaps during the time when another event was being set up.

Answer: Praegenarii

Okay! The gladiatorial combats usually began in the late afternoon in the Colosseum line up. First came the praegenarii, who were considered to be the openers of this phase of the day's events. Fighting only each other, the praegenarii used a blunt wooden sword called a rudis.

The people who fell into this class of entertainment were typically deformed in some way - they might be dwarfs, for example - who learned acrobatic tricks and performed to entertain the crowd, not to hurt each other. Once the praegenarri performed, it was time to watch the various gladiatorial events that typically lasted for the rest of the program until nightfall.

There would be, however, other events that served as a diversion while props and scenes were being changed or the next acts were being staged.

Answer: Pugilatus

These boxing matches must have been quite savage; the only rule was that a person could only use his hands to strike his opponent. Aside from that, hitting was allowed anywhere on a person's body. There were no weight classes; boxers would have a random drawing for their opponent. Wearing gloves that only covered the hand - not the fingers - the boxer's right hand was used for punching, while the left hand was used to protect. Matches lasted until one of the boxers couldn't continue to fight.

This was a very brutal sport, which many times resulted in the death of the loser. Linked to this sport were boxers who fought wearing a cestus, which was made of strips of hide and filled with iron blades. Usually the boxers who used the cestus were slaves who were expected to fight to the death.

Other gladiators could also use the cestus, which was called a "limb-breaker" as part of their gear.

Answer: Pancratium

A combination of wrestling, boxing, and martial arts, the pancratium participated in an extremely popular game at the Colosseum. Without any rules to follow, the combatants could use any means necessary to defeat their opponents. Typically resulting in the death of one of the fighters, the match could also be over when one raised his finger, which was a sign that the fighter could not continue.

In that case, he was usually strangled. The pancratium is said to have originated with the games of Caligula (prior to the construction of the Colosseum).

When he became emperor there were three months of public celebrations; one historian claimed that 160,000 animals were killed in the spectacles he held during that time. At the beginning of his reign, Caligula was popular as the son of the military hero, Germanicus, and like many politicians, he used the games to win public support.

It was not until he suffered a serious illness that his behavior became erratic, and he committed many of the acts - like naming his horse a senator - for which he is known today.

Answer: Eques

One of the first events once the gladiator fights began in the day's program, the eques was a horseman who only fought against another horseman. While on horseback, the eques would use a lance or a shorter spear to try to unseat his opponent; once one of the combatants was unseated from his horse, then the two would fight hand to hand combat using a gladius, or short sword.

The eques would wear a helmet and only light armor, as the sport required quickness and agility. "Equites", the plural of eques, is also what the Romans called their cavalrymen; eventually the word was used to denote a wealthy class of people who ranked just below the senators.

Answer: Naumachiarii

This exhibition had to have been a sight to behold. Most Roman arenas - and the Colosseum was no exception - could be easily flooded with enough water to hold mock naval battles. Because of the limited space, smaller replicas of ships would be constructed, and the naumachiarii would be dressed and outfitted with weapons in a way that imitated the people who had fought in the actual naval battle that was being reenacted. Romans fought sea battles by ramming enemy ships and then boarding them; there was a lot of action to see! Julius Caesar is credited with beginning this form of entertainment; he had a lake built outside of Rome for the expressed purpose of staging naval exhibitions.

Answer: Sagittarius

The sagittarius was ranked a bit higher than other gladiators; because he was armed with a bow and arrow, he had to be trusted to some extent not to shoot into the crowds at the games. He was well-paid, and unlike other gladiatorial events, was not part of a fight-to-the-death spectacle.

Although he was expected to kill his opponents, members of the group did not kill each other. They usually fought against the noxii gladiators, who were slaves or criminals who did not really have the talent to train or were not given the opportunity to do so.

When a sagittarius fight was planned, it was a reenactment of a great battle - where, of course, the Romans had been victorious. The noxii gladiators, therefore, represented the vanquished enemy and were considered to be expendable.