Aldrete contributes chapter on ‘Sport and Spectacle’ in ancient Rome

Prof. Greg Aldrete of Humanistic Studies is the author of the chapter “Material Evidence for Roman Sport and Spectacle” in the newly published book A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity. In his chapter, Aldrete assesses what non-literary types of evidence such as gladiatorial equipment, graffiti, tombstone inscriptions, coins, curse tablets, toys, clay lamps, and even the excavated bones of ancient performers can reveal about how spectacular entertainments were organized and operated in the Greek and Roman worlds, and the meanings that such events held for those cultures. Edited by Paul Christensen and Donald Kyle, the new book is published by Wiley-Blackwell Press. An Amazon page provides additional detail.