Supplying and management of wild beasts for the spectacles in the amphitheatre of Viminacium

Abstract

Sensational participation of wild beasts in Roman games held in amphitheaters, such as animal displays, hunts, fights or executions are evidenced with numerous ancient texts and iconographic data. Information on the nature of capturing beasts, their trade and management are occasionally shown, too. It is not only that such data are perceived as exaggerated, but they are also mostly related to the spectacles held in the Colosseum and other large amphitheaters throughout Italy, so the questions of supply and management of beasts in provincial amphitheaters are challenging to answer. Recent excavations at the amphitheater of Viminacium, situated in the Roman province of Upper Moesia, enabled precise research on the supply and management of wild beasts in provincial amphitheaters. Animal bones discovered in the amphitheater area, together with architectural features related to beast management, opened a wide range of questions related to spectacles held within the Viminacium amphitheater. This paper will combine various sources of data, from archaeozoology to architectural aspects, enabling a better understanding of how wild bests were supplied and managed in Viminacium and other provincial amphitheaters.