Animals in Spectacle: Abuse & Racing in Greece and Rome

Spectacles of Animal Abuse – Core Ideas

• Aim: affirm human mastery over nature; project control of humanity’s own “animal” impulses.
• Socially sanctioned; viewed as normal defense against dangerous or “pest” species.
• Ideological uses: civic unity, imperial propaganda, elite self-promotion.

Greece – Main Practices

• Bull-leaping (Minoan Crete, c. 2000 BC): acrobatic vaults over live bull; purpose, performers & outcome (sacrifice?) unknown.
• Thessaly bull-wrestling: mounted riders chase, dismount, neck-twist bull; lethal.
• Cock-fighting: state-funded in Athens; model of unrestrained aggression and soldierly courage.
• Boar fights (Sparta) and interspecies matches (dogs vs. deer/bears/lions, etc.).
• Non-violent “shows” of tamed bears, lions, elephants—still coercive by modern standards.

Rome – Venationes & Related Shows

• Scale unmatched: dedication of Colosseum (CE 80) killed 9000 beasts in 100 days; Trajan’s games (CE 108) c. 11000 animals.
• Venatio (staged hunt): political largesse; exotic imports (lions, hippos, crocodiles, etc.); meat distributed to crowd.
• Agricultural festivals: Cerealia (foxes with burning tails), Floralia (goats/rabbits netted & slain); dogs annually punished for legendary wartime failure.
• Condemnatio ad bestias: criminals/prisoners executed by animals; moral lesson that “beasts” deserve bestial deaths.
• Decline: expense & animal scarcity → last venatio 523 CE; shift to non-lethal but humiliating tricks (tight-rope elephants, “wall-runner” bear chases, humans in metal balls, etc.).

Horse & Chariot Racing – Greece

• Elite prestige sport; contrasted with “lower-class” athletics.
• Events:
  • Tetrapon (4-horse chariot) in Olympics from 680 BC.
  • Synoris (2-horse) added later.
  • Keles (mounted race) from 648 BC.
  • Kalpe (dismount & run beside mare) briefly attested.
• Iliad 23 gives earliest full description: 5 two-horse teams, battlefield track, divine interference, frequent crashes.
• Riders/jockeys = lightweight boys (often slaves); owners receive victory honors.
• Hazards: high speed, flimsy war chariots; fatal spills (e.g., mythical death of Orestes).

Horse & Chariot Racing – Rome

• Oldest, most popular Roman spectacle; over 60 circuses empire-wide.
• Circus Maximus: length 600\,m, width 150\,m, seating \sim150{,}000.
• Track: 7 laps (≈5 km). Straight speeds up to 75\,\text{km·h}^{-1}; tight turns major crash points.
• 12 starting gates; lanes merge after first straight → tactical blocking & whipping rivals.
• Charioteers: slaves/freedmen/foreigners; could amass fame & fortune; reins tied round waist → dragged in wrecks.
• Daily games consumed 700–800 horses; preferred Spanish & North-African stallions (height 1.35–1.55 m).
• Fan culture: factions, horse idolization, amulets, curse tablets; Christians decried races as pagan “devil houses.”

Comparative Takeaways

• Abuse spectacles emphasized domination; racing celebrated speed, risk, and elite status.
• Greece balanced ridden vs. chariot races; Rome fixated on chariots.
• Both cultures invested vast resources: expense signaled prosperity & power; animal welfare largely ignored except for prized racehorses.
• Decline of lethal shows driven by cost & scarcity, not ethics.