Panem et circenses (bread and circuses) is a derogatory Latin
phrase still used today to describe the practices used by
governments to pacify their population or to hide controversial
facts by providing food and low-quality entertainment, with
welfare-based criteria.
I know you don't understand, but I'll explain all about it.
We observers have to be very astute in order to investigate
what is hidden behind the obvious. And this time it seems
they've set us a fairly hard task.
The expression quoted by the football player and the
gladiator is the clue which should guide your steps here.
Read the explanation and try to understand it.
Is this some sort of joke?
A football player and a gladiator? What on earth have they got to do
with each other? And the Coliseum and a football pitch?
I hope they explain what's going on, because all this guess work is
making me nervous.
I bet you didn't think your PE teacher would be testing you too! Well,
here I am, and what's more, I've set this test in conjunction with the
social science teacher.
We're going to find out where this expression
really comes from. Since we're here in Rome,
let's visit the Coliseum and see in situ what used
to go on in there, and why!
http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=41890238&x=124
92303&z=18&l=3&m=a
Season after season, year after year, our
governors distracted us with panem et circenses.
the four seasons
GAMES IN THE ROMAN CIRCUS
You can see a film about the
subject to help you understand it
better.
I bet you didn't know, for instance,
that there were female gladiators.
FEMALE GLADIATORS
WRITE A REPORT ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.
You can either do it in writing (using this report as a model),
or, if you want, why not film a video with your friends?
If you want more information, see this analysis in English about the Romans' taste for violence and
death. The world of the circus was very dangerous!
And to finish, why not participate
virtually in some games, such as
this chariot race?
However, other people fought to defend
their rights and dignity, although not many
testimonies survive of their courage or
way of thinking.
Of course, but who hasn't heard of the slave Spartacus?
In Classical times, many people fought to improve and change their society. However, these
people were all very different from one another, not only due to their ethnic and social origin,
but also because of their intentions regarding the changes they wanted to bring about and
the social groups they wanted to benefit.
Who is who?
Match the names to each of these artists works
SPARTACUS, TIBERIUS GRACCHUS, GAIUS GRACCHUS, PERICLES, SOLON, HYPATIA OF ALEXANDRIA.
Fill in the data you have gathered about
each figure in the table below.
NAME
ERA
PLACE
WHAT DID THEY DO?
WHAT SOCIAL GROUP
WERE THEY IN FAVOUR OF?
AND THE RESULT?
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?
I always said that all that football, all that telly and all those
games, etc. couldn't be just entertainment. Especially
considering all the money involved!
It's clear that panem et circenses is still going on today!
Joana, it's time to put your thinking cap on. Here are some
texts to get you thinking about the subject.
A song by a Uruguayan rock group with this title.
An article by the writer Manuel Talens in the newspaper El País.
Type 'bread and circus' into Google and you will find loads of blogs
containing very diverse opinions on the subject. Read some of them.
WRITE YOUR OWN ARTICLE ON THE SUBJECT