T
HE PEOPLE of ancient Rome had an in-
satiable thirst for blood and a ravenous
hunger for death, and their giant thea-
tre of destruction was the Colosseum. Here
it was that the citizens of the world’s great-
est historical empire clamoured each week
to witness men, women and wild beasts
pitted against each other in spectacularlyAT THE COLO
E
ACHweek,
Romans clam-
oured to the Col-
osseum in droves
to enjoy the
magnificently gory
spectacles put on
by the authori-
ties to keep their
insatiable thirst
for blood slaked.
But where did they
park? Outside
the stadium was
a vast area of
hard-standing,
with parking room
for up to 5,000
chariots. Latecom-
ers often found
that competition
for spaces was
high, and fights to
the death often broke out between frustrated charioteers arguing over who got there first.Park-
ing wardens - easily recognised by the dayglo feather plumes on their helmets - patrolled these
parking areas, issuing a fixed 100 dinari penalty to anyone who failed to display a ticket, parked
outside the designated lines, or whose horses had shat, although this fine was reduced to 50
dinari if the miscreant paid up within seven days.P
UTTINGon a spectacular show of death each week wasn’t cheap. Although the gladiators
themselves weren’t paid, and half of them were killed so didn’t need feeding or transport
home, the cost of shipping in fresh, hungry wild animals from the far-flung edges of the empire
was vast. Official
merchandise was an im-
portant revenue stream
for Colosseum manage-
ment. Early versions of
the foam hands that are
popular souvenirs of
modern sporting events
have been found during
excavations of ancient
Roman sites. Instead of
being made from open-
celled polyurethane
like their present day
counterparts, these were
fashioned from cork and
calf leather, and came
screen-printed with the
crowd’s favourite gladi-
ator logos and catch-
phrases.J
USTlike at a
modern sport-
ing event, over-
priced, unpalat-
able refreshments
were an important
part of the experi-
ence for hungry
crowd-members.
Of course, modern
hot dogs hadn’t
been invented two
millennia ago, so
instead Roman
games fans
chowed down
on a ‘Calidum
Canis’, a snack
consisting of a
cylindrical portion
of semi-cooked, pureed hog meat, oats and sawdust, served in a piece of leavened bread split
along its length. This was offered with an optional spoonful of wet onions and a squirt of the
cheapest nullam consectetur condimentum available from theRoman cash ‘n’ carry. And the
games also existed two thousand years before the invention of ice cream. Instead, on hot days,
citizens enjoyed a ‘XCIX’ - a primitive cold dessert made by cooling churned cream until it was
semi-frozen, served in a cone with two chocolate flakes.I
TWILLcome as no surprise that illegal street vendors flogging
cheaply produced knock-off merchandise to the crowds flocking to
the colosseum were as prevalent at the games in AncientRome as
they are today. On the surface, the foam hands they were selling may
have looked indistinguishable from the official souvenirs available
inside the stadium, but they were in fact of inferior quality, being made
from tree bark and goat leather. While flogging their knock-off wares
to the crowds, theseRoman wideboys kept one eye out for customers
and another for thePraetorian guards. If caught, they would face a stiff
fine of 200 dinari and have their hands cut off.Whom’sWhom
&WhyisWhat...