Allusions to Ancient Rome in The Hunger Games

A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature

Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, uses many allusions to ancient Rome and Greece

The Capitol=the city of Rome

Allusion

Panem

Ancient Rome

The Hunger GamesAfter a revolution, the

13 outlying districts are formed

District 13 rebels, and is obliterated

Each district receives a Capitol appointed mayor

Peacekeepers are stationed in each district

The Romans organized their conquered peoples into provinces

Controlled by governors with absolute power over all non Roman citizens

Troops were stationed in each, ready to exercise appropriate force

Ancient Rome

Although the Capitol is in complete control, it is highly dependent upon the districts, to maintain its decadent lifestyle.

It imports large amounts of agricultural and manufactured items from the districts.

In ancient Rome, farmers were not allowed to raise crops to compete economically, as they were required to send their crops to the city of Rome.

This was not a very popular requirement, so…

The common people were pacified by the ruling class with “Bread and Circuses,” or in Latin Panem et Circenses.

In ancient Rome the “bread” was distributions of grain, and the “circuses” were public games and other mass spectacles.

The people were given food and were entertained; this kept them from realizing how poorly they were being treated.

Bread and Circuses

In The Hunger Games, the games were used as punishment to remind the people in the districts that a rebellion should never happen again.

It did keep the people in the districts too busy (or worried) to even think about revolution.

As the people in the district watched, they rooted for their tributes to win, because the sole survivor (Victor) and his/her district would be rewarded with food & other gifts from the Capitol (bread).

The people watching in the Capitol, with nothing to lose, watch purely for pleasure (circuses).

The Hunger Games, like ancient Roman gladiator battles, take place in an outdoor arena.

Like the gladiatorial games, the children of Panem are forced to fight to the death, until only one survives.

All the while spectators are glued to their televisions rooting for their favorite tributes.

In ancient Rome, Romans watched the spectacle live in a stadium setting, much like the Super Bowl in modern times.

In The Hunger Games, the two adolescents who fulfill their civic duty and compete in the games are known as tributes.

In ancient Rome, the word, tributa, refers to taxes paid to the central government for protection.

In Greek mythology, this word refers to the “seven Athenian youths and seven maidens” who, as a form of punishment, were “sent every year to be devoured by the Minotaur .”

Tributes

Panem comes from the Latin word, Panem et Circenses

Head gamemaker, Seneca Crane, is drawn from ancient Roman, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who might have been responsible for the production of public games in Rome

Caesar Flickerman, the MC of the Hunger Games, is probably as famous as his namesake, Julius Caesar was in Rome.

Cato, a fierce opponent in the arena, was a fierce opponent of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome.

Words

Architecture

A rectangular plaza surrounded by several important government buildings & various religious shrines

For centuries, it was the center of Roman public lifeA marketplaceSite of triumphal processions & electionsVenue for public speechesCriminal trialsGladiatorial matches

The Roman Forum

Many of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the Forum

Statues and monuments of the city’s greatest men were erected here

It has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world

Roman Aqueduct

The two biggest forms of Roman entertainment wereChariot RacingGladiatorial Fighting

Chariot Racing was a very old tradition in Rome

It came about when Romans began to breed horses

The horses were the true athletes of the race; usually, the chariot was driven by a slave.

Roman Games

NOT for warfareChariot RacingTriumphal processions (parades)

Uses of a Chariot

Roman Chariot

Parade of Tributes

Built in the center of Rome, it was the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire

Construction began in 72 A.D. and it was completed in 80 A.D.

Made of concrete and stoneIt could hold 50,000 spectators Has been used for

Gladiatorial gamesMock Sea BattlesAnimal hunts ExecutionsRe-enactments of famous battlesPerformance of dramas

The ColiseumThe Flavian Amphitheater

They began as a funeral tradition: to honor the death of an important dignitary

Later, they became an important part of public spectacles staged by politicians and emperors to keep the masses happy

Originally called Panem et Circenses or Bread and Circuses

It was the entertainment of the time; thousands would come to watch men fight to the death, much like a modern-day sporting event.

Gladiatorial Games

A Day at the Arena Activity

Nautical Battle in the Coliseum

Drawing of the Coliseum in Rome

Ruins of the Coliseum

The Hunger Games Arena Depiction

The districts were like Roman provinces laboring to send their goods to the city that is reaping the profits and have little concern for the workers. When the elite look nothing like the people who labor in the fields, this proves a society is doomed to fail…eventually.

Conclusion