Level 2 - Theme - Roman Sussex - What provision was there for public entertainment?

Question: What provision was there for public entertainment?

Public baths

This photograph show the excavations of a public bathhouse in Chichester. Roman baths provided opportunities for people to meet their friends, take exercise, get clean, and use various facilities such as sports equipment, sweat rooms, swimming pools, barbers and masseurs. Usually bathhouses had a changing room (apodyterium), a hot room (caldarium), a warm room (tepidarium) and a cold room (frigidarium), as well as smaller rooms. One can fairly compare them with modern leisure centres.

Gladiators mosaic

Gladiators performed in amphitheatres throughout the Roman Empire, and were a popular subject for mosaics. This is a detail of a mosaic at Bignor Roman Villa, which features three trainers and nine gladiators in all.

Chichester Amphitheatre

This is a reconstruction of the Chichester amphitheatre – an arena where gladiators may have fought. The wealthy classes would have paid for the events in the arena, and they would have been very popular places.