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| Temple in the cattle market |
The first fights took place in the cattle market
The cattle market, or Forum Boarium, was a large open space beside the River Tiber. The cattle pens could easily be cleared away to make space for the fighting, while the shops and temples provided places for the audience to stand or sit to watch.
One fight took place in a swivelling arena
In 53BC the politician Gaius Scribonius Curio put on a munus, but he did not have much money and nobody would lend him any. Curio impressed the crowd by staging two plays in theatres positioned back to back. Then the theatres swivelled round to form an arena for a small gladiatorial show. The crowd loved the new idea and Curio went on to a successful career.
Most fights took place in the Forum
The Forum was the largest open square in the centre of Rome. The most important temples and government buildings stood around the Forum. After about 150BC gladiatorial games were held in the Forum and temporary wooden stands were erected in which spectators could sit.
From 100 Facts about Gladiators by Rupert Matthews
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