edidit spectacula uarii generis ... nauali proelio in minore Codeta defosso lacu biremes ac triremes quadriremesque Tyriae et Aegyptiae classis magno pugnatorum numero conflixerunt. ad quae omnia spectacula tantum undique confluxit hominum, ut plerique aduenae aut inter uicos aut inter uias tabernaculis positis manerent, ac saepe prae turba elisi exanimatique sint plurimi et in his duo senatores.
Caesar gave various kinds of spectacles … the naval battle was held in a small lake dug out from the lesser Codeta, biremes and triremes and quadriremes from the Tyrian and Egyptian fleets fought a large number of battles. So many men thronged to all these spectacles, that many of the foreigners stayed either in the streets or in tents pitched in the streets, and often many were trampled or killed by the crowd and these included two senators.
- Suetonius. Life of Julius Caesar. 39.
Caesar gave various kinds of spectacles … the naval battle was held in a small lake dug out from the lesser Codeta, biremes and triremes and quadriremes from the Tyrian and Egyptian fleets fought a large number of battles. So many men thronged to all these spectacles, that many of the foreigners stayed either in the streets or in tents pitched in the streets, and often many were trampled or killed by the crowd and these included two senators.
- Suetonius. Life of Julius Caesar. 39.
Naumachia - Water Shows
The entertainments of the arena were not necessarily confined to the venationes, ludi meridiani, and gladiatorial combats. To add further excitement to the games, water shows were conducted, beginning in the late Republic (1st century BC) through the 1st century AD (as currently known from the literary sources). The naumachia or stagnum was an artificial basin that was created for holding large-scale water shows. In general, these events consisted of large scale naval battles and smaller scale water ballets.
One of the earliest naval battles recorded was held by Julius Caesar in 46 BC in the Campus Martius (Appian. Civil Wars. 2.102. Suetonius. Life of Julius Caesar. 39.4) in which there were 4, 000 oarsmen and 1, 000 men fighting on either side (i.e. 6, 000 prisoners of war were involved). Previous to this naval exhibitions had been conducted as a part of military training by Scipio Africanus and Sextus Pompey. Sextus Pompey also staged a battle in order to entertain his troops (40 BC, in this case an artificial basin was not created, but the battle was conducted at sea between prisoners of war) (Cassius Dio. Roman History. 48.19).
Augustus also held an impressive naval battle in 2 BC in which an island was constructed in the middle of the basin (Martial. Spectacles. 34; Cassius Dio. Roman History. 55.10.7). This spectacle involved some 30 ships and was a reenactment of the great naval battle at Salamis. The dimensions for this project are recorded in the Res Gestae (23) and attest to the sheer size and capacity of the structure created:
dimensions:
Emperors after the time of Augustus continued the practice of putting on naval battles, including Domitian, Titus, and Nero. The games held at The Fucine Lake in AD 52 by Claudius were on a grand scale as well. Tacitus records the battle which involved some 19, 000 fighters with triremes and quadriremes (Annales. 12.56). As Tacitus records, the men fought so valiantly they were shown a rare sign of compassion, being exempted from destruction due to their courage (the amount of men still alive at this point is not recorded, but Tacitus does indicate that much blood had already been spilled).
Water Displays in Other Structures
The use of the Colosseum for water displays has been heavily debated. Some of the literary sources including Martial indicate that this type of display did take place in the Colosseum. However, the archaeological evidence has been inconclusive. Excavations have shown that the arena was lined with water proof mortar (opus signinum) and there were some drains for the evacuation of water. However, a system for bringing in sufficient quantities of water has yet to be found (Dodge. Spectacle in the Roman World. 66).
Water displays were not limited to the epicenter of the empire. There has been evidence found to indicate that these spectacles were held in at least some other parts of Italy and the provinces, as evidenced by Verona and Merida. However, the evidence also indicates that in these areas these spectacles would have been of a smaller, less elaborate scale (Dodge, Spectacle in the Roman World, 67).
Selected primary sources on naval battles:
Appian. Civil Wars. 2.102.
Augustus. Res Gestae. 23.
Cassius Dio. Roman History. 59.17 and 67.8.
Martial. Spectacles. 27-30 and 34.
Suetonius. Life of Augustus. 43-45.
---. Life of Caesar. 39.
Tacitus. Annales. 12.56 and 15.37.
Photograph above: Khun. Reconstruction drawing of Colosseum with naumachia (Nispi-Landi), 1913. Photograph courtesy of Barbara McManus and VRoma.
One of the earliest naval battles recorded was held by Julius Caesar in 46 BC in the Campus Martius (Appian. Civil Wars. 2.102. Suetonius. Life of Julius Caesar. 39.4) in which there were 4, 000 oarsmen and 1, 000 men fighting on either side (i.e. 6, 000 prisoners of war were involved). Previous to this naval exhibitions had been conducted as a part of military training by Scipio Africanus and Sextus Pompey. Sextus Pompey also staged a battle in order to entertain his troops (40 BC, in this case an artificial basin was not created, but the battle was conducted at sea between prisoners of war) (Cassius Dio. Roman History. 48.19).
Augustus also held an impressive naval battle in 2 BC in which an island was constructed in the middle of the basin (Martial. Spectacles. 34; Cassius Dio. Roman History. 55.10.7). This spectacle involved some 30 ships and was a reenactment of the great naval battle at Salamis. The dimensions for this project are recorded in the Res Gestae (23) and attest to the sheer size and capacity of the structure created:
dimensions:
- 1, 800 x 1, 200 Roman feet (approx. 536 x 357m)
- 270, 000 cubic meters of water
Emperors after the time of Augustus continued the practice of putting on naval battles, including Domitian, Titus, and Nero. The games held at The Fucine Lake in AD 52 by Claudius were on a grand scale as well. Tacitus records the battle which involved some 19, 000 fighters with triremes and quadriremes (Annales. 12.56). As Tacitus records, the men fought so valiantly they were shown a rare sign of compassion, being exempted from destruction due to their courage (the amount of men still alive at this point is not recorded, but Tacitus does indicate that much blood had already been spilled).
Water Displays in Other Structures
The use of the Colosseum for water displays has been heavily debated. Some of the literary sources including Martial indicate that this type of display did take place in the Colosseum. However, the archaeological evidence has been inconclusive. Excavations have shown that the arena was lined with water proof mortar (opus signinum) and there were some drains for the evacuation of water. However, a system for bringing in sufficient quantities of water has yet to be found (Dodge. Spectacle in the Roman World. 66).
Water displays were not limited to the epicenter of the empire. There has been evidence found to indicate that these spectacles were held in at least some other parts of Italy and the provinces, as evidenced by Verona and Merida. However, the evidence also indicates that in these areas these spectacles would have been of a smaller, less elaborate scale (Dodge, Spectacle in the Roman World, 67).
Selected primary sources on naval battles:
Appian. Civil Wars. 2.102.
Augustus. Res Gestae. 23.
Cassius Dio. Roman History. 59.17 and 67.8.
Martial. Spectacles. 27-30 and 34.
Suetonius. Life of Augustus. 43-45.
---. Life of Caesar. 39.
Tacitus. Annales. 12.56 and 15.37.
Photograph above: Khun. Reconstruction drawing of Colosseum with naumachia (Nispi-Landi), 1913. Photograph courtesy of Barbara McManus and VRoma.
Please see the above video for a 3-D reconstruction of a naumachia which may (possibly) have been held in the Colosseum at Rome.
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