Inside of the Colosseum or Flavian amphitheatre, 70/72 - 80 DC in Rome (Source: Wikicommons)
Forgan Smith (building 1), The University of Queensland, St Lucia
Venue: Forgan Smith (building 1), The University of Queensland, St Lucia.

Non-members are welcome. A donation of $10 per person includes entry in the lucky door prize and afternoon tea.

Betty Fletcher: Lover of Wisdom, Lover of Beauty, Lover of Humanity

Launch of the mini exhibition in the Forgan Smith Building & overview of the online exhibition.

Emperors and the Arena

With Gladiators having recently arrived at the Queensland State Museum, Dr Malik's talk will examine the history of the games in Rome. In particular, she will focus on emperors' struggle to decide what was 'appropriate' involvement in these hugely popular and violent spectacles for the ruling elite. Julius Caesar attended, but faced criticism for not paying enough attention to the shows. Augustus corrected his adopted father's mistake. Tiberius legislated against equestrians becoming, or marrying, gladiators. Commodus, of course, is (in)famous for fighting on the sand of the arena himself. She will consider also the value of the games in Rome for the emperors – in other words, bread, circuses, and the 'Politics of Entertainment'.