The amphitheatre and gladiators - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life) Exam Questions

Practise 36 exam-style questions on The amphitheatre and gladiators for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

36 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Source A: a bronze gladiator's helmet found in the gladiators' barracks at Pompeii (1st century AD). It has a broad brim all round, a visor that covers the whole face, with grilles of small holes to see through, and a tall crest ending in the head of a griffin (a mythical beast with an eagle's head). The gladiator who wore it carried a small, almost square shield and a short curved sword.

Which type of gladiator wore this helmet and equipment?

Model answer

A thraex (Thracian).

Explanation

The griffin crest, the small square shield (parmula) and the curved sword (sica) were the marks of the thraex, a fighting style based on the equipment of Rome's Thracian enemies. The thraex was usually paired with the murmillo, whose large shield contrasted with his small one. Some scholars think the most richly decorated helmets from the Pompeii barracks were for parades rather than for fighting.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Thraex (Thracian)
Accept 'Thracian'. Do not accept murmillo, hoplomachus, secutor or retiarius.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: words scratched on a wall at Pompeii (1st century AD)

'Celadus the Thracian makes the girls sigh.'

What does Source A suggest about how some gladiators were regarded? Make two points.

Model answer

It suggests that some gladiators were celebrities, known to the public by name and fighting style ('Celadus the Thracian'). It also suggests that they were sex symbols, admired by women in spite of their low status as slaves and outcasts.

Explanation

The Latin calls Celadus 'suspirium puellarum', literally 'the sigh of the girls'. This kind of fame sits oddly with gladiators' legal disgrace (infamia): they were admired and despised at the same time. Some scholars think graffiti like this were written by the gladiators themselves.

Mark scheme

2 marks
Two valid points based on Source A, 1 mark each.
Two from, e.g.: some gladiators were celebrities, known to the public by name; they were sex symbols / attractive to women ('makes the girls sigh'); fans knew and followed the different types of gladiator (he is identified as a Thracian, a thraex); they had admirers despite their low legal status (usually slaves, with infamia); they may have boasted about themselves (the graffito may have been written by a gladiator); people followed favourite fighters, talked about them and bet on them. max 2.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: a notice painted on a wall at Pompeii (1st century AD)

'Twenty pairs of gladiators provided by Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens, priest for life of Nero, son of Caesar Augustus, and ten pairs of gladiators provided by Decimus Lucretius Valens, his son, will fight at Pompeii on 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 April. There will be a proper wild-beast hunt, and awnings. Aemilius Celer wrote this, alone, by the light of the moon.'

Select two features of this notice and explain what each one tells us about the games at Pompeii.

Model answer

One feature is that the games are given by named sponsors, Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens and his son. This shows that games at Pompeii were paid for by wealthy local men, who used them to win prestige and popularity, and that a father could use them to introduce his son to public life. A second feature is the promise that 'there will be a proper wild-beast hunt, and awnings'. This shows that the games included venationes as well as gladiators, and that sponsors competed to attract spectators by offering comfort, with awnings to shade them from the sun.

Explanation

Notices like this were painted on walls by professional sign-writers, and this one signs his name. Calling Nero 'son of Caesar Augustus' suggests that the games were given before he became emperor in AD 54, while he was Claudius' adopted son. Each pair needs a feature quoted or clearly referred to and an explanation of what it shows.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First feature with explanation: 1 mark for a relevant feature of the notice, 1 mark for an explanation of what it tells us about the games at Pompeii. The explanation mark can be awarded for a relevant explanation even if the feature is only loosely identified.
Two pairs from, e.g.: the named sponsors, father and son (1) - games were paid for by wealthy local men to win prestige and popularity / a father could use them to launch his son's public career (1); 'priest for life of Nero' (1) - sponsors linked their games to the imperial cult and showed loyalty to the emperor's family (1); 'twenty pairs ... ten pairs' (1) - gladiators fought in matched pairs / the number of pairs showed how lavish the show was (1); five days of games (1) - a major event / an expensive gift to the town (1); 'a proper wild-beast hunt' (1) - venationes were part of the programme as well as gladiators (1); 'awnings' (1) - sponsors offered comfort (shade) to attract spectators / the amphitheatre had a velarium (1); a painted public notice signed by a sign-writer working at night (1) - games were advertised to attract crowds, from Pompeii and nearby towns, and professional painters did this work (1). The second pair must use a different feature.
2 marks
Second, different feature with explanation: 1 mark for a relevant feature of the notice, 1 mark for an explanation of what it tells us about the games at Pompeii.
As above; must be a different feature from the first.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: a wall painting from a house in Pompeii (painted between AD 59 and AD 79). It shows the amphitheatre of Pompeii from above, with the double staircase on its outside wall and an awning stretched over part of the seating. In the arena, in the seating and in the open ground outside, groups of men are fighting one another, and some lie wounded on the ground. Beside the amphitheatre is a large walled exercise ground with trees, and stalls have been set up outside.

To what extent were the games a threat to public order? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A suggests that the games could be a serious threat to public order. The painting shows the riot of AD 59, when Pompeians and Nucerians fought not only in the arena but in the seating and outside the building, with men lying wounded on the ground. Tacitus says that what began as insults turned to stones and then to swords, that many Nucerians were carried to Rome mutilated, and that many families mourned dead children or parents. The authorities took it very seriously: Nero referred the matter to the senate, which banned Pompeii from holding such gatherings for ten years, dissolved illegal clubs and exiled the sponsor, Livineius Regulus. The games brought together tens of thousands of excited people - about 20,000 at Pompeii and 50,000 in the Colosseum - sometimes from rival towns, and their passion for particular gladiators and their shouting for blood could easily boil over. Augustus' strict seating rules and the soldiers posted at games in Rome show that the authorities were aware of the danger.

However, the riot of AD 59 seems to have been unusual: Tacitus records it because it was exceptional, and he blames 'the rowdy way of small towns' rather than the games themselves. Most shows passed without trouble, and seating by rank, numbered entrances and the presence of the emperor or the magistrates helped to control the crowd. Many Romans saw the games as a way of keeping the people content and loyal - Juvenal's 'bread and circuses' - so the games could actually help to maintain order. The painting itself, made for a Pompeian house, seems to show local pride in the event rather than shame.

Overall, the games could threaten public order when local rivalries and huge crowds combined, as the riot of AD 59 and its severe punishment show; but usually they were well controlled and helped the authorities to keep the people satisfied, so the threat was occasional rather than constant.

Explanation

Good answers use the painting and Tacitus' account of AD 59, including the punishment, as evidence of real danger, and then weigh it against the evidence that games were normally well controlled and even helped emperors keep order. Considering why the painting was made and why Tacitus recorded the riot shows critical analysis. A clear judgement is needed for Level 4.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of the riot of AD 59 and of other evidence about crowds at the games, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context (crowd control, the political use of games) and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear judgement on how far the games threatened public order, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both Source A and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement on how far the games threatened public order.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of crowds and the games; limited range of evidence; some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use Source A; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - fighting in the arena, the seating and outside; wounded men; the amphitheatre with its awning and external staircase; the exercise ground and stalls. Own knowledge - the riot of AD 59 between Pompeians and Nucerians at Livineius Regulus' show (Tacitus): insults, stones, swords; many Nucerians mutilated and killed; Nero referred it to the senate; a ten-year ban on such gatherings at Pompeii, illegal clubs (collegia) dissolved, Livineius and others exiled; crowds of about 20,000 at Pompeii and 50,000 in the Colosseum; passionate fans of particular gladiators; Augustus' seating rules to end disorderly behaviour; soldiers were posted at games in Rome; Juvenal's 'bread and circuses'; numbered entrances and seating by rank. AO2: huge excited crowds and local rivalries could turn violent, and the severe punishment shows the authorities feared this; but the riot was exceptional - Tacitus records it because it was unusual and blames small-town rivalry rather than the games; most shows passed peacefully under careful control; the games could help keep order by keeping the people content and loyal; the painting, made for a Pompeian house, may show local pride in the event. Judgement: e.g. an occasional rather than a constant threat.

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