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Roman civil engineering

The amphitheatres, theatres, gymnasiums and thermal baths were all public buildings that were constructed according to a plan that was almost identical for every Gallo-Roman colony of a certain size. For the Roman government, it was a way of spreading Latin culture to the colonised populations, but also of warding off any political concerns and preventing any revolts.  

In Antiquity, shows first took place in wooden theatres. It was only gradually that they started to be built in stone. So as to be able to contain combats between animals and gladiators, which initially took place in rectangular enclosures in the middle of the forum, the Romans came up with the idea of putting together two theatres opposite each other. This had the advantage of being able to host a large number of spectators without any seats being disadvantaged by blind spots. Our current stadiums are descended from this ellipse-shaped arena surrounded by terraces. The Romans used two methods to construct this type of building: they either used the natural configuration of the land (the terraces were built directly into a hill, as they are in the Roman Theatre of Orange), or they built enormous walls to support the terraces. Here the architects chose the wall solution.

 

The preserved social order

Each area corresponded to a class of society: the closest terraces were reserved for the nobles, and the terraces that were furtherest away were for the ordinary people and the slaves. This ensured that there was no risk that their paths would cross. Thanks to numerous inscriptions that are now preserved at the archaeological museum, we know, for example, that the boatmen of the Rhone and the Saone had seats reserved for their corporation. The lowest terraces, the imma cavea, were the best seats and were reserved for the honestiores, i.e. the town’s dignitaries and important people. The town’s citizens were seated in the intermediary terraces, the media cavea and the ordinary people and slaves watched the combats from the upper terraces, the summa cavea.

 

Everyday life of a wealthy citizen

Depending on their position in society, everyday life varied a great deal for the inhabitants of Nemausus. While the traders and the craftsmen were to be found in their workshops and at their stalls, and women and slaves saw to the housekeeping and that the children were at school, wealthy citizens dedicated a considerable proportion of their time to leisure pursuits.
In the morning they dealt with business and met friends at home or at the forum. After a light lunch, they went to the gymnasium to practice exercises. Then they went to be bathed and massaged in the neighbouring thermal baths, and swim for a while in the cold water of the baths.
Some days they could go to the theatre or a concert, listen to a lecture or the rantings of the orators. Sometimes an interesting show was announced for the afternoon in the amphitheatre. In the evenings, worn out from the entertainment, well-off citizens met with friends for the cena, the most important meal of the day. This was eaten lying down and could be accompanied by a troop of dancers or singers. 

 

Roman roads

The Romans constructed an important network of roads in Gaul. From Lyons, the roads headed off in all directions and the road that linked the Rhone valley with the Mediterranean led to Rome. More than 20,000 km of straight roads marked with milestones to the glory of the Emperor connected Rome to the most far-flung cities of the Empire. The Romans were among the greatest road builders in the world. Even today, modern roads often follow the route of the former Roman roads.

 

Gladiatorial combat

The perception that we have of these combats has been totally distorted by the cinema. In films, the gladiators are shown as slaves, condemned to death merely to please a bloodthirsty public. Recent historical research shows that this popular misconception needs to be totally revised. It now seems that the gladiatorial combats were in fact a genuine sport fought by highly trained volunteers. Despite the fact that the spectre of death was always present, it was never a systematic outcome. During the era of the Nîmes amphitheatre (i.e. in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD), the gladiators were almost exclusively free men who chose this high-risk profession. They were motivated by the quest for glory, money and integration into a world which fascinated all Romans, from the richest to the poorest.

 

Gladiators

Every time a gladiator died, the games’ organiser had to compensate the lanista, which was why he spared a certain number of lives.
They were all given nicknames that went with them to the grave, such as Ferox (fast as lightening) or Ursius (as strong as a bear).

 

Gladiators: brave fighters or bloody murderers?

Today, gladiators have an ambiguous reputation. Many of them were adulated stars, exalted by poets, immortalised on vases, cups or frescoes and idolised by women. Yet they still left the scent of blood and violence in their wake. For them to have any hope of surviving, they had to be naturally disposed towards violence. Cicero was said to hate gladiators who did everything to have their lives spared, and encouraged gladiators who showed a disregard for their own lives.