SM+Art&Entertainment+Entertainment+Rome

Children
Roman children, regardless of status and age, found entertainment in almost anything around them. When they were born, they played with toys of the crepundia. Crepundias are toys or ornaments in the form of flowers, axes and other tools. They were also like lucky charms. It is strung together and hung around the neck like a necklace, amusing the baby with its jingling or rattling. Each child's crepundia is made of different materials and shapes, and that served as means of identification if the child gets lost.

When they become toddlers, rag, clay or wax dolls were embraced. Ivory letters like our letter blocks, carts for mice, tops, hoops driven with sticks, stilts and balls were also forms of entertainment. Dogs were friendly and loyal, making them close friends of children. There wasn't any exact definite descriptions of any children's games, but there seem to have been games like blindman's buff and hide-and-seek. Pebbles and nuts were played like marbles and some games were played on boards. It may sound disgusting, but Roman children threw dice made out of bones! They even blew up pig bladders and played it around like football.

Roman children played anywhere, as long as they get all the fun they want. Some played in streets and got into trouble while others played silently in fields. Children as they are, scribbled rude things on walls about leaders, enemies, and even their best friends!

Adults
__The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum)__ Adults had generally more sadistic entertaining methods. One of them was held in the Flavian Amphitheatre, or better known as the Colosseum. The Colosseum could seat up to fifty thousand spectators. Christians, criminals or slaves were thrown into a ring filled with wild animals including lions, leopards, wolves and bears.

These unlucky contestants were trained to be gladiators. One of the gladiator school, called Ludus Magna, is so close to the amphitheatre that it was connected by an underground tunnel. Gladiators had to fight against the animals and against themselves. There were a few types of gladiators. A myrmillon had a short sword and a rectangular shield. A Thracian had a curved dagger and a small square shield. Retiarius gladiators had a trident and a net while a Samnite had a short sword and a long curved shield. Wounded gladiators had the right to plead for mercy, and it was sometimes granted. A thumbs down signal meant death from the referee. It was a bloody entertainment that had a singular backbone rule, "Kill or be killed." The gladiators standing after the entire event were given cheers and ofter regarded as stars and won their freedom.

__The Hippodrome (Circus Maximus)__ Chariot racing was held in the hippodrome. The hippodrome was a huge sports stadium with an oval-shaped racetrack. Town criers announce the games and betting or gambling was extremely intense.

There were four important chariot teams, Reds, Blues, Whites and Greens. Every team had huge groups of fans, and sometimes they fight when the racing gets extremely intense. Like gladiators, charioteers who won gained freedom.

__Theatre__ Roman citizens regardless of age and social class flock the plays in the theatre. Although most of the plays were fairly sad tragedies, Romans still enjoyed them. They cry when it's sad and laugh when it's funny. The actors and actresses wore colourful masks and robes to allow the audiences to recognise them even from the back row.

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