| Abstrakt: |
A study of Roman ball games from the second century BC to the fifth century AD, with a brief look at the seventh century and the Byzantine period. This article is an attempt to separate Roman from Greek games, to dispel some of the misconceptions that constantly appear in popular discussions regarding ball games and to consider what part they played in Roman life among the different social classes. The literary sources are meagre, mostly poets, philosophers, and grammarians who are not always interested in games such as trigon or harpastum per se, and usually make only passing references to them. They show sporting activities for upper-class male citizens, with a few negative comments on the other social groups. Archaeology from Pompeii, however, the Campus Martius, and the Bathing complexes throw a different light on ball games and the lower classes. The article will concentrate on Rome but games from Pompeii, Gaul, Sevilla, and Constantinople will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
