Events Search and Views Navigation
March 2021
Colchester Archaeology Talks: Roman Life – Chariot Racing
'Roman Life - Chariot Racing’ Chariot racing was the greatest spectator sport of the Roman period. With its racing teams, star drivers and celebrity horses, it provided sports fans with all the elements necessary to engage and excite. The fanatical support of a team colour is just of the legacies. Emperors also came to realise that the races served a political role – especially in Rome. The provision of games kept the populace 'on side', acting as a safety valve…
Find out more »April 2021
Colchester Archaeology Talks: Searching for the Colosseum’s backstage team
A talk by historical fiction author Melissa Addey They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. In 80AD the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire was inaugurated with 100 days of Games. But the Games didn’t just happen. They were made. The backstage team of the Colosseum are never mentioned, yet a 50-70,000 seat amphitheatre could not possibly have staged Games on the scale we read about in historical sources without a large and complex team behind…
Find out more »