Naumachia
In antiquity, both simulated sea battles and the facilities in which these spectacles took place were referred to as naumachia . It is also a garden design element.
history
The first naumachia was born in 46 BC. Chr. Organized by Caesar , who had an artificial lake built on the Marsfeld especially for this purpose . A battle between Phoenician and Egyptian ships was portrayed in this spectacle . Four thousand rowers and two thousand deck soldiers are said to have taken part in this battle, so that according to estimates by historian Fik Meijer, a total of 22 ships were involved. The rush of spectators was so great that spectators arriving from outside Rome had to camp out on the streets.
Augustus had 2 BC Establish the first permanent naumachia, which was later called vetus naumachia and was 540 by 350 meters in size.
Claudius had the largest naumachia set up in 52 AD on Lake Fucin , once the largest inland body of water in central Italy. In the middle of the lake he had a mechanical triton set up, which heralded the beginning of the battle with a fanfare. On both sides, 19,000 slaves fought on 50 ships each. In front of this naumachia, the fighting greeted the Roman emperor with the cry:
This greeting is commonly associated with gladiators . However, there is no evidence that a gladiatorial match ever took place in which the gladiators addressed the Roman emperor in this way.
Nero , who preferred to arrange naumachia in amphitheatres , had crocodiles and other animals swim around in the water to increase the tension.
The fighters involved in the Naumachia were called Naumachiarii . Like the gladiators , they were mostly slaves, prisoners of war, or condemned to death; through a good performance they could gain freedom.
In the baroque period the naumachia were revived for the amusement of court society. For example, sea battles were fought on the (now drained) Brandenburger See in Bayreuth , as well as in front of an artificial maritime backdrop around the Moritzburg lighthouse (Saxony). A naumachie modeled on the ancient form was located in Parc Monceau (Paris). “Battles” with remote-controlled model ships can also be counted among the naumachia.
literature
There is little literature that deals specifically with Naumachia. In the literature that deals with the gladiatorial being in the Roman Empire, one also dedicates himself to this exhibition fight, which is especially typical of Rome.
- Marcus Junkelmann : Playing with death - This is how Rome's gladiators fought . Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2563-0 ( Antike Welt , special issue; Zabern's illustrated books on archeology ).
- Eckart Köhne (Ed.): Gladiators and Caesars. the power of entertainment in ancient Rome . Von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2614-9 .
- Alan Baker: Gladiators - life and death fighting games . Goldmann, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-442-15157-0 .
- Fik Meijer: Gladiators. The game of life and death . Artemis and Winkler, Düsseldorf et al. 2004, ISBN 3-7608-2303-3 .
- Patrick Eyres : British naumachias: The performance of triumph and memorial. In: Dumbarton Oaks Colloqium on the history of landscape architecture . Volume 27, 2003, pages 171-192.
- Marin Buovac: The Origin and Development of the Naumachia on the Territory of the Roman Empire. Summary, in: Histria Antiqua , Volume 21, 2012, page 393.