Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre

The inaugural games were held, on the orders of the Roman Emperor Titus. They were held to celebrate the completion of the Colosseum, then known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. The games are the first-hand account of the opening of Rome and the games may have raised his awareness of the city and the events of the time.

About Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre in brief

The inaugural games were held, on the orders of the Roman Emperor Titus. They were held to celebrate the completion of the Colosseum, then known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. Vespasian began construction of the amphitheatre around AD 70 and it was completed by his son Titus. Titus’ reign began with months of disasters – including the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a fire in Rome, and an outbreak of plague. He inaugurated the completion with lavish games that lasted for more than one hundred days, perhaps in an attempt to appease the Roman public and the gods. Little literary evidence survives of the activities of the gladiatorial training and fighting. They appear to have followed the standard format of theRoman games: animal entertainments in the morning session, followed by the executions of criminals around midday, with the afternoon session reserved for gladiatoratorial combats and recreations of famous battles. Naval battles formed part of the spectacles but whether these took place in the amphitheatres or on a lake that had been specially constructed by Augustus is a topic of debate among historians. Only three contemporary or near-contemporary accounts of the games survive. The works of Suetonius and Cassius Dio focus on major events, while Martial provides some fragments of information on individual entertainments. The only detailed record of a gladiator combat in the arena known to survive is the fight between Verus and Priscus. There have been difficulties dating and translating parts of Martial’s De Spectaculis.

Much of the work is concerned with praising Titus, but it does give details not covered by other sources. Later historian Caetonius reveals further information about the games in his history of the early history of Rome. His De Vita Caesarum probably completed around AD117 to 127, includes some further detail on the opening days of the Games. He was born around AD100, so it is possible that he may have witnessed the inaugural games in Rome and raised in the early years of the reign of Titus. It is also possible he was a child at the time, but he was born in AD 100 so he was not likely to have witnessed them. The games are the first-hand account of the opening of Rome and the games may have raised his awareness of the city and the events of the time. They are the only surviving records of gladiators in the Roman arena and the only complete record of an arena fight. The Roman games are thought to have been held between AD 69 and AD 80. The site became available to Nero by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 and redeveloped for his personal enjoyment with the construction of a huge artificial lake in the Domus Aurea, and a colossal statue of himself. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were later constructed within the former grounds of the Domu Aurea. The lake was in-filled and the site designated as the location for the Flavians Amphithe Theatre.

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