Death by Water(?): Executions and Spectacles

Transcription

1 Death by Water(?): Executions and Spectacles Carthage Dr. Kristian Lorenzo Dr. Kristian Lorenzo,

2 Today s Plan Upcoming Important Dates Morituri Te Salutamus! Aquatic Displays in the early Empire

3 Upcoming Important Dates Thursday, March 19th: Sign up for Presentation date. 2nd Extra Credit Opportunity March 19th 2015, Kathryn Sampeck, Anthropology Assistant Professor at Illinois State University Spanish Entradas and Indian Roads: Colonial Encounters of the First Kind in the Interior of the US Southeast, Room 118 Jepson Hall at 6pm. Tuesday March 24th: Developed Bibliographies and Outlines Due by 1:30pm

4 Morituri Te Salutamus! Leon begins his discussion with what has been known in both popular culture and classical scholarship as the gladiator s salute. Our earliest textual evidence for this comes from Suetonius s Life of Claudius 21.6 He gave representations in the Campus Martius of the storming and sacking of a town in the manner of real warfare, as well as of the surrender of the kings of the Britons, and presided clad in a general's cloak. Even when he was on the point of letting out the water from Lake Fucinus he gave a sham sea-fight first. But when the combatants cried out: "Hail, emperor, they who are about to die salute thee," he replied, "Or not," and after that all of them refused to fight, maintaining that they had been pardoned. Upon this he hesitated for some time about destroying them all with fire and sword, but at last leaping from his throne and running along the edge of the lake with his ridiculous tottering gait, he induced them to fight, partly by threats and partly by promises. At this performance a Sicilian and a Rhodian fleet engaged, each numbering twelve triremes, and the signal was sounded on a horn by a silver Triton, which was raised from the middle of the lake by a mechanical device.

5 Morituri Te Salutamus! Suetonius is not the only source to mention the salute. Dio Cassius writing in the 2nd cent. AD is the other one. He says, Claudius conceived the desire to exhibit a naval battle on a certain lake; so, after building a wooden wall around it and erecting stands, he assembled an enormous multitude. Claudius and Nero were arrayed in military garb, while Agrippina wore a beautiful chlamys woven with threads of gold, and the rest of the spectators whatever pleased their fancy. Those who were to take part in the seafight were condemned criminals, and each side had fifty ships, one part being styled "Rhodians" and the other "Sicilians." First they assembled in a single body and all together addressed Claudius in this fashion: "Hail, Emperor! We who are about to die salute thee." And when this in no wise availed to save them and they were ordered to fight just the same, they simply sailed through their opponents' lines, injuring each other as little as possible. This continued until they were forced to destroy one another.

6 Morituri Te Salutamus! However, while many modern scholars and non-academics link this salute with gladiators this is not the case. It was actually spoken by naumachiarii (i.e. fighters in a naumachia, or exhibitionary naval battle).

7 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia 1-2 Julius Caesar was the first to give a naumachia in the city of Rome. Caesar s naumachia fought by Egyptians and Tyrians was part of his triumphal games in 46 BC. He set them in an purpose built lake in the Campus Martius near the Tiber. The lake s exact location is unknown. Sextus Pompeius staged a naumachia with groups of captured soldiers in the strait between Sicily and Italy. In 40 BC he did this both to celebrate his occupation of Sicily and to mock Octavian and his supporters.

8 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia 3-4 Augustus staged a naumachia in a custom built structure, his stagnum located on the west bank of the Tiber in the Trastevere region in 2 BC. He boasts of this in his Res Gestae. Augustus s naumachia pitted Athenians against Persians and celebrated the dedication of the Temple of Mars Ultor in the overarching inaugural program for the Forum of Augustus. Augustus Claudius in AD 52 sponsored the most elaborate naumachia with Sicilians fighting Rhodians to celebrate the impending completion of a 3-mile long tunnel to drain Lake Fucinus in the Apennine Mountains. Claudius, as much for glory as for gain undertook this project. Claudius

9 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia 5-6 Nero staged his own naumachia, in his wooden amphitheater in the Campus Martius in AD 57. The arena was filled with seawater stocked with fish and other marine creatures. There was a battle between Persians and Athenians, after which the water immediately was drained and another contest presented between forces on land. A second naumachia may have been staged in 64, but it could also be the same as the one in 57. Titus presented an elaborate show at the stagnum of Augustus as part of the spectacles celebrating the dedication of the Colosseum in AD 80. There was a sea battle between Athenians and Syracusans and a gladiatorial show, as well as the presentation of five thousand beasts, all in a single day. Nero Titus

10 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia 7 Domitian having used the Flavian Amphitheater for a naval display, excavated beside the Tiber a stagnum upon which he launched almost full-scale fleets. This naumachia is associated with Domitian s Dacian victory. Possible/doubtful naumachiae: In the 3 rd century the Emperor Elagabalus flooded a great basin with wine and staged navales circenses therein, most probably boat races and not battle reenactments. Celebrating Rome s millennium in 247, Philip the Arab gave water games of all sorts in a stagnum across the Tiber which may have possibly included a naumachia.

11 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia NOT Based on the unreliability of the later evidence, I believe that both Elagabalus s and Philip s naumachiae are fictions created to connect those emperor s with both Caesar himself and earlier emperors (Augustus, Domitian and Trajan) and their ability to stage naval battles in either custom-built stagna or specially modified monuments. Elagabalus Philip the Arab

12 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia Salient Points Naumachiae were not regular games but were given infrequently on special occasions. Held in purpose-built structures, the Colosseum (very doubtful***) and natural bodies of water Named combatants (e.g. Athenians vs. Persians )fought in 6 out the 7 naumachiae

13 Morituri Te Salutamus!: naumachia Salient Points The outcomes may or may not have been scripted since in the naumachia with Athenians and Syracusans history was inverted when the Athenians won. The naumachiarii were war captives and criminals condemned to death who on one occasion used the salute, "Hail, Emperor! We who are about to die salute thee." A naumachia then was a spectacular form of execution. Sometimes survivors were excused from further slaughter.

14 Morituri Te Salutamus!: Conclusions "Hail, Emperor! We who are about to die salute thee." was not a regular salute of either naumachiarii or gladiators. It was only used once by the former to elicit sympathy.

15 Coleman concentrating mainly on Titus s aquatic displays in 80 asks a series of questions (see below) predicated on an aspect of the Roman mentalité that is largely alien to our modern outlook. What aspect is that? E.G. Were aquatic displays really staged in the Colosseum? Was the arena large enough for naval combat? Why stage a replay of a historical event, only to allow the outcome to contradict history?

16 All these questions/issues are predicated on the largely alien aspect of the Roman mentalité: a passion for novel and elaborate ways of mounting spectacle, which in turn generates the notion of enhancing mortal combat by staging it in a theatrical setting.

17 But going beyond naumachiae Coleman broadens her scope to include the Roman adaptation of the theatrical genre of pantomime to stage myths set in a marine context such as Leander and Hero. The choice of such themes raises another question: Did the Romans perceive the distinction between myth and history in the same terms as we do?

18 Hero and Leander Two lovers celebrated in Greek legend. Hero, virgin priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos, was seen at a festival by Leander of Abydos; they fell in love, and he swam across the Hellespont at night to visit her, guided by a light from her tower. One stormy night the light was extinguished, and Leander was drowned; Hero, seeing his body, drowned herself likewise.

19 In attempting to answer her questions Coleman first discusses the 3 different types of venue where naumachiae are said to have been performed. The 3 venues were? Hypothetical location of the stagnum Domitiani. VII VI IX IV VIII III Hypothetical location of the stagnum Augusti. XIV XI XIII X XII II I V

20 The heir to Caesar s basin, the exact location of which we don t know, was the stagnum Augustus built in the Trastevere region. Based on further scholarship a modified rectangular shape was most probable. Purpose built structure Canal to Tiber The Aqua Alsietina

21 The Stagnum Augusti was a concert of architecture and spectacle with its inaugural naval battle. Through the creation and control of this new intra-urban sea Augustus made his and the Roman state s complete mastery of the whole Mediterranean a concrete permanent fact embedded in Rome s urban network. Probable location of the stagnum Augusti in Regio XIV, the Transtiberim. Tiber River N 536 x 357 m with seating areas, a high bridge and an island

22 Sextus Pompeius staged a naumachia with groups of captured soldiers in the strait between Sicily and Italy. In 40 BC he did this both to celebrate his occupation of Sicily and to mock Octavian and his supporters. Natural setting

23 Claudius in AD 52 sponsored the most elaborate naumachia with Sicilians fighting Rhodians to celebrate the impending completion of a 3-mile long tunnel to drain Lake Fucinus in the Apennine Mountains. Claudius, as much for glory as for gain undertook this project. Natural setting Not completely drained until 1875.

24 Nero staged his own naumachia, in his wooden amphitheater in the Campus Martius in AD 57. There was a battle between Persians and Athenians, after which the water immediately was drained and another contest presented between forces on land. Structures intended primarily for other purposes. Not completely drained until 1875.

25 Titus presented an elaborate show at the stagnum of Augustus as part of the spectacles celebrating the dedication of the Colosseum in AD 80. There was a sea battle between Athenians and Syracusans and a gladiatorial show, as well as five thousand beasts, all in a single day. Structures intended primarily for other purposes. Tiber River N 536 x 357 m with seating areas, a high bridge and an island

26 Domitian having used the Flavian Amphitheater for a naval display, excavated beside the Tiber a stagnum upon which he launched almost full-scale fleets. This naumachia is associated with Domitian s Dacian victory. Hypothetical location of the stagnum Domitiani. VII VI IX IV VIII III The Colosseum Hypothetical location of the stagnum Augusti. XIV XI XIII X XII II I V

27 The imperial biographer Suetonius s unequivocally states that Domitian flooded the Flavian Amphitheater for a naval display, while Dio Cassius claims that Titus staged a naval engagement there. But?

28 Despite the textual evidence the big question remains could a full-scale naval battle have been fought in the Colosseum? 87.3 long by 54.3 m wide

29 No, based on dimensions alone.the length of a Greek trireme was ca. 40 x 6 x 7 m. It s width was ca. 10 m with oars. There were of course many other smaller warships available to the Romans: liburnum (25-30 x 4.75m), lembos, pristis, triemiolia, hemiola (15-20 x 4m). Yet you need room to get the ships inside, room for the ships themselves, room for them to maneuver, and build up some speed long by 54.3 m wide

30 Furthermore, there is neither evidence for water proof cement nor opus signinum nor drains for a very hypothetical earlier basin in the arena. The 6m deep hypogeum (basement) has to be a later addition. Any very hypothetical earlier basin would have had to have been much shallower long by 54.3 m wide

31 For any naval battle in the arena, if any ever actually took place, you would need miniature replica ships on the order of ca. 8-10m long by ca. 3 m wide (perhaps 5m with oars). The number however would be limited due to the arena s spatial dimensions long by 54.3 m wide

32 Charade: Two epigrams in the poet Martial s book about spectacles describe a reenactment of the myth of Hero and Leander. The reenactment probably took place for verisimilitude in the Stagnum of Augustus where Leander may have been a criminal sentenced to death who could get a reprieve if he survived the swim to Hero. Hero and Leander

33 where Leander may have been a criminal sentenced to death who could get a reprieve if he survived the swim to Hero. It can be argued that Martial couches the reprieve Leander s survival of the swim earns him as an aspect of the emperor s power over the elements. Stop being amazed that the night s wave spared your life, Leander: it was Caesar s wave. Mart., Spect. 25. Hero and Leander

34 Pantomime: Martial then describes in poem 26 choreographed groupings and re-groupings of women dressed or undressed as Nereids swimming in the Colosseum in a performance akin to water ballet or synchronized swimming. Poetic conceit or actual event?

35 Nereids were 50 water nymphs, minor goddesses born from Nereus and Doris. They were the patrons of sailors and fishermen. They came to the aid of men in distress, and goddesses who had in their care the sea's rich bounty. Individually they also represented various facets of the sea, from salty brine, to foam, etc. They were not ALWAYS depicted naked (contra Coleman.

36 Beyond mythological charade and water ballet there is evidence for dressage, beast hunts, and chariot races all taking place in an artificial aquatic environment for their spectacular effect. However, now let s return to Coleman s inquiry into the purpose of all these aquatic displays but especially that of the naumachiae.

37 to display the emperor s power by re-enacting the great sea-battles of the remote past, both as history occurred (i.e. a confirmation of the present) or as the Romans wished they had (Rome as Athens defeating the Syracusans). The emperor can recreate myths and even change their outcome at the wave of a hand.

38 Coleman does not claim that the Romans could not tell the difference between myth and history, but that the aquatic displays suggest that Greece s classical age was sufficiently remote from imperial Rome for the actual and the mythical past to be accorded equal status in the popular imagination.

39 Extra Credit Opportunities: Students may earn extra credit by attending an Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) lecture and submitting a 1-2-page response paper commenting on how it related or compared to what we have studied (Please do not merely summarize the lecture). However, if the topic of the lecture does not relate or compare to what we have been studying, then please structure your paper in the following way. Begin with a short 1-paragraph summary of the lecture including the speaker s thesis, main evidence/argumentation, and conclusion. The rest of your paper should be an analysis and critique of the speaker s thesis, main evidence/ argumentation, and conclusion. Points you may cover include: Did they have a thesis? Were they successful, or convincing? Is the argument logical? Does the evidence support their thesis? Responses are due by within 48 hours of the lecture. Eligible lectures: 2. March 19, 2015, Kathryn Sampeck, Illinois State U, Spanish Entradas and Indian Roads: Colonial Encounters of the First Kind in the Interior of the US Southeast at 6 pm in Jepsen Hall Room April 9, 2015, Anne-Marie Knoblauch, VT, The Sculptural Tradition of Ancient Cyprus: Island Culture or Outsider Art? at 6pm in Jepsen Hall Room 118.

40 Naval Victory Monuments for Actium: Rome The stagnum s mock naval battle as a reenactment of the Battle of Salamis, a Classical battle of almost mythical proportions, provided a visually impressive and emotionally engaging manifestation of the victory at Actium s results and their role in ushering in a new era of peace, prosperity and happiness. La Naumachia de 1775 (Engelmann 1824).