M.’s volume analyses the more political aspects of hosting public entertainment during the Roman period. Unlike other publications on the subject, M. places political power and negotiation strategies at the heart of the discussion. The author specifies that the analysis is restricted to the western provinces of the Roman Empire, specifically Campania, Gallia Narbonensis and Africa Proconsularis, due to these regions having the best documented instances of spectacle benefaction. Additionally, M. sets out to address the understudied area of non-elite (i.e. freedmen etc.) spectacle benefaction during the Roman period.
The volume is structured in the format that one would expect for approaching this subject, spread over six main chapters (Chapter 1: ‘The Context of the Provincial Spectacle’; Chapter 2: ‘Becoming a Sponsor: Negotiating the Socio-Political Hierarchy’; Chapter 3: ‘De sua pecunia: The Sponsor makes his Mark’; Chapter 4: ‘Hierarchies of Recognition’; Chapter 5: ‘Beyond Honorific Statuary: Self-celebration of Elites in the Private Sphere’; Chapter 6: ‘Options for Non-elite’).
Chapter 1 outlines the cultural backdrop on which elite/political competition was based during this period, the differences between public and private sponsorship, and how epigraphy has been used as a valuable tool to establish personal and familial legacies. Chapter 2 focuses more on the sponsors, who they were, where they belonged within the local hierarchy and how outsiders to the established nobility might become involved with sponsoring games. Chapter 3 examines the methods in which benefactors could modulate the prestige of their games, such as emphasising the use of their own money compared to state funds allocated for the funding of games associated with political office (e.g. such as those sponsored by aediles). Chapter 4 moves to the ‘appreciation’ mentioned in the book’s title, discussing the different ways in which successful sponsors could be commemorated by local councils with a specific focus on the bequeathing of honorific statues. Chapter 5 focuses on private forms of commemoration within the sponsors’ households and how artworks tied to games illustrate how sponsors wished for their gifts to be remembered or how they stressed connections to particular resources to host such lavish events. Finally, Chapter 6 thinks about what options might be available to the non-elite (freedmen, seviri Augustales and collegia) and how sponsoring these events might assist these populations to break into an otherwise inaccessible sector of society.
One of the interesting statements made in the volume is the recognition of a promise, gift and counter-gift cycle found throughout the western provinces, driven by motivations of reciprocity and self-interest (p. 104). In other words, elites hosted these events as a sort of social credit that could garner votes for upcoming elections (self-interest), but were also rewarded in various manners both by the populace (e.g. acclamationes) and by the state (e.g. honorary statuary). Therefore, the hosting of public entertainment can be interpreted as a method for sponsors to create political spaces beyond the immediate physical space of the amphitheatre, where their generosity could be immediately seen. Rather, if the games were positively received, they created opportunities for long-lasting memory, which could be leveraged by the individual but also by their family at large. This is best seen in games sponsored after death, when a family member oversees the organisation of the games, but they are funded from a sum bequeathed by the deceased. Another strength of the volume is its ability to connect spectacles to the wider political sphere in which they existed. This stands in contrast to many similar works on public entertainment, in which the positioning of the games within the political landscape often does not go beyond the superficial, merely with a recognition that they were political in nature without showing how they connect to the wider epigraphic corpus.
However, throughout the discussion, there is an impression that M. may be more comfortable with the political elements of provincial life than with those of the spectacles. In many of the later chapters, much of the discussion strays far from the spectacles (for example, Chapter 6). Additionally, there are some claims regarding the games that could be rectified on the basis of greater familiarity with the scholarship in this field. This often arises when it comes to the discussion of venationes (‘beast-hunts’), in relation to which M. appears to overstate in some cases. One example is the impression M. gives that exotic animals were not common in provincial games because of an overall shortage of animals during this period (p. 98). This may be true for later games, where we see their numbers reduced at imperial games and the introduction of laws restricting the capture/killing of prime arena animals, probably in an effort to keep a steady stream of animals for the emperors’ use. However, games held before the third century ce are unlikely to have been subject to such limitations. Rather, the absence of these animals is presumably related to more straightforward economic restrictions connected to the challenges of transporting animals from different parts of the empire, thus a preference for local fauna would have freed up more funds for gladiators (which, as seen in the edicta munerum, appear to have been the main event that attendees were interested in). This financial challenge in hosting exotic animals is reinforced by the large presence of ostriches, lions and other prime arena animals in the games of the North African elite, for which transportation costs would have been lower. Another example is M.’s discussion of the bear hunt at Baiae (pp. 177–8), in which it is stated that the motivation of the artwork was to associate the author’s connections to secure bears for the games. Yet, for provincial venationes bears are one of the most common species presented, probably due to their presence throughout the empire and, therefore, availability. Hence, it might be more accurate to perceive the mosaic as a celebration of the sheer number of bears presented, which would have been a better advertisement of the sponsor’s wealth.
There are some other points of concern, such as the miscaptioning of images, as seen with figures 4 and 5, where the images of the amphitheatres at Nimes and Arles are reversed. This can also be seen in figure 7, which claims to represent the amphitheatre at Lepcis Magna, but clearly shows the theatre.
Spectacle Benefaction and the Politics of Appreciation sets out to bring a fresh perspective on the sponsoring of public entertainment in the western Roman provinces. It certainly excels at analysing the more political elements of these events, as promised by M.’s early aim to place political power and negotiation at the heart of the analysis (p. 13). Yet some of the discussion and basic errors leave the reader feeling that this volume would have benefited from some deeper engagement with the scholarship concerning Roman entertainment and some closer attention to detail.
While I can recommend this volume for those more familiar with the history of games during the Roman period and those looking for a source that might provide a deeper consideration of the ways to associate the games with wider political and familial epigraphy, I would be hesitant to suggest this volume to anyone seeking an introductory approach with a political lens due to some of the questionable statements made in relation to the games.
