Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Blood in the Arena

By: Alison Futrell
Narrated by: Devon Y. Enyedy
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

From the center of imperial Rome to the farthest reaches of ancient Britain, Gaul, and Spain, amphitheaters marked the landscape of the Western Roman Empire. Built to bring Roman institutions and the spectacle of Roman power to conquered people, many still remain as witnesses to the extent and control of the empire.

In this audiobook, Alison Futrell explores the arena as a key social and political institution for binding Rome and its provinces. She begins with the origins of the gladiatorial contest and shows how it came to play an important role in restructuring Roman authority in the later republic. She then traces the spread of amphitheaters across the Western empire as a means of transmitting and maintaining Roman culture and control in the provinces.

Futrell also examines the larger implications of the arena as a venue for the ritualized mass slaughter of human beings, showing how the gladiatorial contest took on both religious and political overtones. This wide-ranging study, which draws insights from archaeology and anthropology, as well as classics, broadens our understanding of the gladiatorial contest and its place within the highly politicized cult practice of the Roman Empire.

The book is published by University of Texas Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

Praise for the book:

“Brings fresh perspectives to the study of the Roman amphitheater…important insights into the psychological dimensions of these public spectacles for the Roman viewer.” (Classical World)

©1997 University of Texas Press (P)2020 Redwood Audiobooks
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Greek Dark Ages cover art
The Oxford History of the Biblical World cover art
The Etruscans cover art
Empire of the Romans cover art
The Picts cover art
The Kingdom of Kush cover art
The Past as Present cover art
Great Zimbabwe cover art
Ancient Rome cover art
The Roman Empire cover art
King of the World cover art
The Etruscans cover art
The Rise of the West cover art
Maya History: A Captivating Guide to the Maya Civilization, Culture, Mythology, and the Maya Peoples’ Impact on Mesoamerican History cover art
1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated) cover art
The Anglo-Saxon Settlement of England cover art

What listeners say about Blood in the Arena

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.