Game of Death in Ancient Rome: Arena Sport and Political Suicide

by Paul Plass

Overview

This book examines two forms of Roman institutional' violence:
gladitorial combat and political suicide, attempting to explain and correlate the social and psychological significance of these phenomena.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299145743
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	11/17/1998
Series:	Wisconsin Studies in Classics
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Editorial Reviews

Plass (classics, U. of Wisconsin-Madison) shows how the deadly violence of arena sport and political suicide served a social purpose in ancient Rome, drawing on ideas from contemporary sociology and anthropology. He discusses gladitorial combat, and spells out the rules implicit in Roman political suicide using game theory as a model. Includes a section of detailed notes describing legal antimony, orgiastic violence, clemency, loss aversion, and degrees of penalty, based on the writings of Tacitus and Seneca. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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