quo-vadis50

Only thing I can think of to say is.....WAY COOL!!!!!

Again -- this is very interesting information, but it still doesn't answer the original direct questions about whether the Circus Gai et Neronis and the Theater of Pompey were burned, and the names of the districts which were not burned. Is this info not available?

Uhhhh.....okay -- while all this talk of insurance, etc., is fascinating, does anyone have answers to the original questions: Which of the districts were not burned (i.e., what were the names of the districts)? Was the Circus Gai et Neronis left untouched by the fire? And what of the Theater of Pompey? Did it escape the flames?

There appears to be some disparity among the accounts of the damage done by the Great Fire. Some say 70% of the city was incinerated; others say only 10% was torched. Anybody have any ideas. For example, one account says 0nly four of the fourteen districts were untouched. Anybody know which ones they were? Nero was supposed to have persecuted the Christians in "the only arena that had not been burned down." Which was what? The Circus Gai et Neronis? Any ideas? Also, does anyone know if the Theater of Pompey was spared? Supposedly the Theater of Marcellus burned, but what about Pompey? I'm just full of questions today! QV

Original quote by WotWotius: Natives of Pairs refer to urinals as vespasiennes; the name derived from Emperor Vespasian, who famously imposed a tax on urine. Hmmm. And exactly how did they determine how much tax you owed? And where would that go on your return? Just curious.

Thanks--that's very helpful.

Temporary arenas were established during regular festivals and were constructed of wood so that they were disposable. The forum was one popular location. The Circus could be pressed into service for massive events. A semi permanent structure was built in the Campius Martius during the reign of Augustus as well. From the William Smith Dictionary on Ampitheatrum, you should find the following most useful pertaining to Caligula. Thanks for the info!

Trying to do some research, and I'm curious-- which arena/ampitheater would have been used most for "spectacles" during Caligula's reign? The Colisseum wasn't around yet. Would it have been Circus Maximus, or some other less ostentatious place?

Whoa--looks like I'm going over well-plowed ground! Sorry--I just got here.

Hi, all-- I've come of late to a sudden, all consuming interest in Ancient Rome. I had four years of Latin when I was in high school (back in the mists of antiquity!), and all I can remember is a proverb: "A live dog is better than a dead lion!" Go figure. I've always had a fondness for that era, but lately it's like an obsession. And I don't know why; I don't know what triggered it, but it's FUN! Anyway, I'm trying to read and absorb all that I can about the topic, and sites like this one are great! I've been writing Roman fiction on some other websites (I teach college-level English-- Composition I & II; Technical Writing I & II; and Creative Writing). I strive to be as authentic and accurate as I can. That being said, my first post is on a weighty topic-- were the gladiators of Rome like today's professional wrestlers of the WWE and other such organizations? Hollywood has given us this misconception that only one man was left standing at the end, and the rest of the poor schmucks lay butchered in the sand. The little bit of research I've done indicates that, even though many of them were slaves, they were treated a lot like today's sports stars. The lanista had a lot of money invested in his charges, and couldn't afford to have most of them slaughtered at a match. I wonder, even if the crowd called for death, if they didn't drag the loser under the grandstands and pretend to deliver the coup de grace? Was there a little bit of showmanship and fakery involved? Anybody have some background on this?