Spectators for Sport, Sport for Spectators: The Chariot Races and Gladiator Fights in Rome

Melek Akkurt; Tolga Şinoforoğlu

Makale detayları

Spectators for Sport, Sport for Spectators: The Chariot Races and Gladiator Fights in Rome

Yazarlar:

Melek Akkurt | Tolga Şinoforoğlu

Yayıncı:

Gazi University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sports Medicine

Dergi:

Gazi Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Vol.28 Issue 2, pp.92-101

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289100

pISSN:

2717-9966

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The aim of this study is to scrutinize the roots, evolution and changing phases of chariot races and gladiator fights which are the main sportive events, identified with Rome. The first and longest last-ing sportive event of Roman civilization is chariot races, fed by Etruscans and Greeks. The harmoni-zation of different reasons with cult beliefs such as salvation from military failures in wars and pu-rifying the city from diseases has increased the value attributed to races held in the form of obla-tions. The popularity of the games was followed by emergence of teams but races gained its real momentum during the Byzantine period when Christianity became the state religion and revulsion from other sportive events. The other popular event of Rome was gladiator fights which was the way of punishing the criminals and respecting the deads. Its harmonic spirit with military cantered state, the fights, had been a trigger of increasing the number of gladiators and being an entertain-ment of the public. The brute nature of the warrior Rome, which was fuelled by the cultic beliefs and political conflicts, gave a different direction to the bloody fights and raised its flame. The glad-iator fights systemised with Augustus and his successors became one of the indispensable events of the arenas during the imperial period. However, the fights not suitable for the Christian faith; was excluded by the clergy, rulers and society, ended in the 4th century AD. In conclusion, Rome has kneaded the raw physical activities with the influence of surrounding civilizations, particularly the Etruscans, then transformed them into the sportive activities suitable for military state and so-cial structure, and fed the spectators greed to struggle, with the violent activities that were not seen in their contemporaries. The games which emerged as a shareholder with the religious rituals in the very beginning became the indispensable part of social life and the meeting point of the public and the rulers, and the number of spectators tended to increase continuously. Realizing the effect of the games on the masses, the rulers have tried to use the spectator-oriented sportive activities effectively for political purposes for centuries.

 The aim of this study is to scrutinize the roots, evolution and changing phases of chariot races and gladiator fights which are the main sportive events, identified with Rome. The first and longest last-ing sportive event of Roman civilization is chariot races, fed by Etruscans and Greeks. The harmoni-zation of different reasons with cult beliefs such as salvation from military failures in wars and pu-rifying the city from diseases has increased the value attributed to races held in the form of obla-tions. The popularity of the games was followed by emergence of teams but races gained its real momentum during the Byzantine period when Christianity became the state religion and revulsion from other sportive events. The other popular event of Rome was gladiator fights which was the way of punishing the criminals and respecting the deads. Its harmonic spirit with military cantered state, the fights, had been a trigger of increasing the number of gladiators and being an entertain-ment of the public. The brute nature of the warrior Rome, which was fuelled by the cultic beliefs and political conflicts, gave a different direction to the bloody fights and raised its flame. The glad-iator fights systemised with Augustus and his successors became one of the indispensable events of the arenas during the imperial period. However, the fights not suitable for the Christian faith; was excluded by the clergy, rulers and society, ended in the 4th century AD. In conclusion, Rome has kneaded the raw physical activities with the influence of surrounding civilizations, particularly the Etruscans, then transformed them into the sportive activities suitable for military state and so-cial structure, and fed the spectators greed to struggle, with the violent activities that were not seen in their contemporaries. The games which emerged as a shareholder with the religious rituals in the very beginning became the indispensable part of social life and the meeting point of the public and the rulers, and the number of spectators tended to increase continuously. Realizing the effect of the games on the masses, the rulers have tried to use the spectator-oriented sportive activities effectively for political purposes for centuries.

 The aim of this study is to scrutinize the roots, evolution and changing phases of chariot races and gladiator fights which are the main sportive events, identified with Rome. The first and longest last-ing sportive event of Roman civilization is chariot races, fed by Etruscans and Greeks. The harmoni-zation of different reasons with cult beliefs such as salvation from military failures in wars and pu-rifying the city from diseases has increased the value attributed to races held in the form of obla-tions. The popularity of the games was followed by emergence of teams but races gained its real momentum during the Byzantine period when Christianity became the state religion and revulsion from other sportive events. The other popular event of Rome was gladiator fights which was the way of punishing the criminals and respecting the deads. Its harmonic spirit with military cantered state, the fights, had been a trigger of increasing the number of gladiators and being an entertain-ment of the public. The brute nature of the warrior Rome, which was fuelled by the cultic beliefs and political conflicts, gave a different direction to the bloody fights and raised its flame. The glad-iator fights systemised with Augustus and his successors became one of the indispensable events of the arenas during the imperial period. However, the fights not suitable for the Christian faith; was excluded by the clergy, rulers and society, ended in the 4th century AD. In conclusion, Rome has kneaded the raw physical activities with the influence of surrounding civilizations, particularly the Etruscans, then transformed them into the sportive activities suitable for military state and so-cial structure, and fed the spectators greed to struggle, with the violent activities that were not seen in their contemporaries. The games which emerged as a shareholder with the religious rituals in the very beginning became the indispensable part of social life and the meeting point of the public and the rulers, and the number of spectators tended to increase continuously. Realizing the effect of the games on the masses, the rulers have tried to use the spectator-oriented sportive activities effectively for political purposes for centuries.

 Bu çalışmanın amacı, Roma ile özdeşleşmiş başlıca sportif etkinlikler olan atlı araba yarışları ve gladyatör dövüşlerinin köken, gelişim ve değişim safhalarının irdelenmesidir. Roma Uygarlığının ilk ve en uzun ömürlü sportif etkinliği Etrüsk ve Yunandan beslenen atlı araba yarışlarıdır. Savaşlardaki askeri başarısızlıklardan kurtulma, şehri hastalıklardan arındırma gibi farklı gerekçelerin kült inançlarla bağdaştırılması, adaklar şeklinde gerçekleştirilen yarışlara atfedilen değeri artırmıştır. Oyunların popülaritesini takımların ortaya çıkmasını izlemiş ancak yarışlar asıl ivmesini Hristiyanlığın devlet dini haline gelmesi sonucu diğer sportif etkinliklerden uzaklaşılmasıyla Bizans döneminde kazanmıştır. Romanın diğer popüler etkinliği ise suçluları cezalandırma ve ölülere saygı göstermenin aracısı olan gladyatör dövüşleridir. Dövüşlerin, askeri odaklı devlet yapısıyla uyuşan ruhu, gladyatör sayılarının artmasının ve bir kamu eğlencesine dönüşmesinin tetikleyicisi olmuştur. Savaşçı Romanın kült inançlar ve siyasi mücadelelerle harlanan kaba mizacı, kanlı dövüşlere farklı bir yön kazandırmış ve alevini yükseltmiştir. Augustus ve takipçileriyle sistemleştirilen gladyatör dövüşleri imparatorluk döneminde arenaların vazgeçilmez etkinliklerinden birine dönüşmüştür. Ancak Hristiyanlık inancına uygun bulunmayan dövüşler; din adamları, idareciler ve toplum tarafından dışlanarak MS 4. yüzyılda sonlanmıştır. Sonuç olarak Roma, ham olarak aldığı beden faaliyetlerini başta Etrüskler olmak üzere çevre medeniyetlerin etkisiyle yoğurarak askeri devlet ve toplum yapısına uygun sportif etkinliklere evirmiş ve mücadeleye aç seyirci kitlesini, çağdaşlarında görülmeyen, şiddet içerikli etkinliklerle beslemiştir. Başlangıçta dini ritüellerin paydaşı olarak ortaya çıkan oyunlar süreç içerisinde sosyal hayatın vazgeçilmez bir parçası ve iktidar ile halkın buluşma noktası olmuş, seyirci sayısı sürekli olarak artma eğilimi göstermiştir. Oyunların kitle üzerindeki etkisini fark eden iktidar sahipleri ise seyirci odaklı sportif etkinleri politik amaçlarla yüzyıllar boyunca etkin biçimde kullanmaya çabalamışlardır.

Makale detayları

Spectators for Sport, Sport for Spectators: The Chariot Races and Gladiator Fights in Rome

Yazarlar:

Melek Akkurt | Tolga Şinoforoğlu

Yayıncı:

Gazi University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sports Medicine

Dergi:

Gazi Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Vol.28 Issue 2, pp.92-101

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289100

pISSN:

2717-9966

Sport

Rome

Chariot Races

Gladiator Fights

ByzantineSpor

Roma

Atlı Araba Yarışı

Gladyatör Dövüşleri

Bizans

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Melek Akkurt | Tolga Şinoforoğlu

Yayıncı: Gazi University

Ana Başlıklar: Sports Medicine

Dergi: Gazi Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Vol.28 Issue 2, pp.92-101

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 4/2023

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001289100

pISSN: 2717-9966

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Melek Akkurt | Tolga Şinoforoğlu

Yayıncı:

Gazi University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sports Medicine

Dergi:

Gazi Journal of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Vol.28 Issue 2, pp.92-101

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289100

pISSN:

2717-9966