Allusions to Ancient Rome in The Hunger Games

Allusions to Ancient Rome in The Hunger GamesA reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature

Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, uses many allusions to ancient Rome and Greece

The Capitol=the city of RomeAllusion

PanemAncient Rome

The Hunger GamesAfter a revolution, the 13 outlying districts are formedDistrict 13 rebels, and is obliteratedEach district receives a Capitol appointed mayorPeacekeepers are stationed in each districtThe Romans organized their conquered peoples into provincesControlled by governors with absolute power over all non Roman citizensTroops were stationed in each, ready to exercise appropriate forceAncient RomeAlthough the Capitol is in complete control, it is highly dependent upon the districts, to maintain its decadent lifestyle.It imports large amounts of agricultural and manufactured items from the districts.In ancient Rome, farmers were not allowed to raise crops to compete economically, as they were required to send their crops to the city of Rome. This was not a very popular requirement, so

The common people were pacified by the ruling class with Bread and Circuses, or in Latin Panem et Circenses.In ancient Rome the bread was distributions of grain, and the circuses were public games and other mass spectacles.The people were given food and were entertained; this kept them from realizing how poorly they were being treated.Bread and CircusesIn The Hunger Games, the games were used as punishment to remind the people in the districts that a rebellion should never happen again.It did keep the people in the districts too busy (or worried) to even think about revolution.As the people in the district watched, they rooted for their tributes to win, because the sole survivor (Victor) and his/her district would be rewarded with food & other gifts from the Capitol (bread).The people watching in the Capitol, with nothing to lose, watch purely for pleasure (circuses).The Hunger Games, like ancient Roman gladiator battles, take place in an outdoor arena.Like the gladiatorial games, the children of Panem are forced to fight to the death, until only one survives.All the while spectators are glued to their televisions rooting for their favorite tributes. In ancient Rome, Romans watched the spectacle live in a stadium setting, much like the Super Bowl in modern times.In The Hunger Games, the two adolescents who fulfill their civic duty and compete in the games are known as tributes.In ancient Rome, the word, tributa, refers to taxes paid to the central government for protection.

In Greek mythology, this word refers to the seven Athenian youths and seven maidens who, as a form of punishment, were sent every year to be devoured by the Minotaur . TributesPanem comes from the Latin word, Panem et CircensesHead gamemaker, Seneca Crane, is drawn from ancient Roman, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who might have been responsible for the production of public games in RomeCaesar Flickerman, the MC of the Hunger Games, is probably as famous as his namesake, Julius Caesar was in Rome.Cato, a fierce opponent in the arena, was a fierce opponent of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome.WordsArchitecture

The Forum16A rectangular plaza surrounded by several important government buildings & various religious shrinesFor centuries, it was the center of Roman public lifeA marketplaceSite of triumphal processions & electionsVenue for public speechesCriminal trialsGladiatorial matches

The Roman ForumMany of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the ForumStatues and monuments of the citys greatest men were erected hereIt has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world

Roman Forum Reconstruction20

The Pantheon21

The Pantheon A building to honor all the gods of ancient Rome finished in 126 A.D.Since the 7th century, it has been used as a church dedicated to St. Mary and the MartyrsThe square in front of the building is called the Piazza della RotundaIt is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildingsThe obelisk in front was actually commissioned made in Egypt by Ramses II22Roman Aqueduct

Roman Aqueduct23

The Romans constructed aqueducts to bring a constant flow of water from distant sources into cities and towns, supplying public baths, latrines (public toilets), fountains and private households. Waste water was removed by the sewage systems and released into nearby bodies of water, keeping the towns clean and free from noxious waste. Some aqueducts also served water for mining, processing, manufacturing, and agriculture.Aqueducts moved water through gravity alone, along a slight downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick or concrete. Most were buried beneath the ground, and followed its contours; obstructing peaks were circumvented or less often, tunnelled through. Where valleys or lowlands intervened, the conduit was carried on bridgework, or its contents fed into high-pressure lead, ceramic or stone pipes and siphoned across. Most aqueduct systems included sedimentation tanks, sluices and distribution tanks to regulate the supply at need.Rome's first aqueduct supplied a water-fountain sited at the city's cattle-market. By the 3rd century AD, the city had eleven aqueducts, to sustain a population of over 1,000,000 in a water-extravagant economy; most of the water supplied the city's many public baths. Cities and municipalities throughout the Roman Empire emulated this model, and funded aqueducts as objects of public interest and civic pride, "an expensive yet necessary luxury to which all could, and did, aspire."[1]Most Roman aqueducts proved reliable, and durable; some were maintained into the early modern era, and a few are still partly in use. Methods of aqueduct surveying and construction are given by Vitruvius in his work De Architectura (1st century BC). The general Frontinus gives more detail, in his official report on the problems, uses and abuses of Imperial Rome's public water supply. Notable examples of aqueduct architecture include the supporting piers of the Aqueduct of Segovia, and the aqueduct-fed cisterns of Constantinople.

24The two biggest forms of Roman entertainment wereChariot RacingGladiatorial Fighting Chariot Racing was a very old tradition in RomeIt came about when Romans began to breed horsesThe horses were the true athletes of the race; usually, the chariot was driven by a slave.

Roman GamesNOT for warfareChariot RacingTriumphal processions (parades)

Uses of a ChariotRoman Chariot

Parade of Tributes

Built in the center of Rome, it was the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman EmpireConstruction began in 72 A.D. and it was completed in 80 A.D.Made of concrete and stoneIt could hold 50,000 spectators Has been used forGladiatorial gamesMock Sea BattlesAnimal hunts ExecutionsRe-enactments of famous battlesPerformance of dramas

The ColiseumThe Flavian Amphitheater

They began as a funeral tradition: to honor the death of an important dignitary Later, they became an important part of public spectacles staged by politicians and emperors to keep the masses happyOriginally called Panem et Circenses or Bread and CircusesIt was the entertainment of the time; thousands would come to watch men fight to the death, much like a modern-day sporting event.

Gladiatorial GamesA Day at the Arena Activity

Forum Traiani: Roman ForumCircus Maximus: chariot racing Amphitheatrum Flavium: Coliseum33Nautical Battle in the Coliseum

Drawing of the Coliseum in Rome

Ruins of the Coliseum

The Hunger Games Arena Depiction

The districts were like Roman provinces laboring to send their goods to the city that is reaping the profits and have little concern for the workers. When the elite look nothing like the people who labor in the fields, this proves a society is doomed to faileventually.Conclusion