Venatio (Latin:venatio, "hunting", pluralvenationes) was a type of entertainment inRomanamphitheaters involving the hunting and killing ofwild animals.
Venatio was first introduced byMarcus Fulvius Nobilior, who celebrated his Greek campaign by hosting games where gladiators would fight lions and panthers.
Exotic wild beasts from the far reaches of theRoman Empire were brought to Rome and hunts were held in the morning prior to the afternoon main event ofgladiatorial duels. The hunts were held in theRoman Forum, theSaepta, and in theCircus Maximus, though none of these venues offered protection to the crowd from the wild animals on display.[citation needed] Special precautions were taken to prevent the animals from escaping these venues, such as the erection of barriers and the digging of ditches. Very few animals survived these hunts though they did sometimes defeat the "bestiarius", or hunter of wild beast. Thousands of wild animals would be slaughtered in one day. During theInaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre (80), about 9,000 animals were killed.[1]
Not all the animals were ferocious, though most were. Animals that appeared in the venatio includedlions,elephants,bears,tigers,[2]deer,cows,wolverines,zebras,ostriches,vultures,weasels,polecats,minks,giraffes,eagles, wildgoats,parrots,dogs,camels,monkeys,wolves,jackals,foxes,leopards,crocodiles,boars,hippos,[3] andrabbits.[4] Some of these animals were trained, and instead of fighting, performed tricks.
The treatment given to wolves differed from the treatment meted out to other large predators. The Romans generally seem to have refrained from intentionally harming wolves. For instance, they were not displayed in the venationes due totheir religious importance to the Romans.[5]
Revered for its ferocity, the lion was extremely popular in venationes and gladiatorial shows. Thus the dictatorCaesar used 400 lions (imported primarily fromNorth Africa andSyria) in the Circus, where the inclusion of the foreign animal lent his shows extra panache. Indeed, obtaining the animals from the far-flung corners of the empire was an ostentatious display of wealth and power by the emperor or other patron to the populace, and was also meant to demonstrate Roman power of the whole human and animal world and to show theplebs of Rome exotic animals they might never see otherwise.
During the reign ofAugustus Caesar, the circus games resulted in the death of 3,500elephants.[6]
Following the venatio in the order of daily events was theexecution of convictedRoman citizens of lower status, thehumiliores. Usual forms of execution includedburning at the stake,crucifixion, orad bestias (when the prisoner is left alone in the ring with one or more wild animals).
Roman emperors often sentenced serious criminals — who then became known asbestiarii — to fatal encounters with the beasts in theColosseum — an ancient "death sentence".[7] These were the lowestsocial class of participants in the games.[8]