Historians have formulated an endless number of theories to explain the role of gladiatorial games in Roman culture. In Emperors and Gladiators, Thomas Wiedemann examines the role of public ceremonies in the context of competition within the class of Roman elites: these games served as public demonstrations of the power of the Roman community or sometimes the ''virtue'' of a particular public figure. He shows how emperors, seeking to identify with the civilizing hero, Hercules, used these games to advertise the legitimacy of their governments. Emperors and Gladiators is fully illustrated, drawing on the latest epigraphical evidence to present an original and comprehensive study of the changing significance of gladiatorial contests to Roman culture. It is of great value to both students and scholars of antiquity.

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