Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death (ATOM Study Guide)

The Colosseum in Rome is one of the world's great ancient buildings. But its beauty belies its purpose – as a place where men, women and animals fought, often bloody and brutal battles, as entertainment for the people of Rome. And it was not just Rome – colosseums existed in all Roman cities and all parts of the empire.

Why was the spectacle of death so important to Roman society? Why did Romans go to such lengths to construct special buildings to display those spectacles in? What was it like to be a star in such a spectacle? And what does the Colosseum tell us about the society that created it?
Based on archaeological and literary records, and using dramatic reconstruction and computer generated information techniques, Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death (Tilman Remme, 2003) brings life to the drama of this arena.

The film focuses on the story of Verus, a gladiator known to have fought in the arena in the inaugural games of 80AD, when hundreds of gladiators and animals were used by the Emperor Titus as a political ploy to gain popularity.

Teachers can use this film as a way of engaging students in a study of Rome, helping them to identify and challenge their preconceptions about gladiators, and to set up a series of statements about Roman life that can be tested by further research.