Two of Justus Lipsius’s most fascinating antiquarian works are bound together in a single volume, illustrated with finely executed engraved plates. The first work (Saturnalium Sermonum – De Gladiatoribus), here in second edition, accords a central role to gladiatorial spectacles during the Saturnalia, the winter festival associated with Saturn and marked by a temporary suspension of customary social boundaries. Lipsius examines the ancient sources describing these celebrations and treats gladiatorial games not merely as entertainment, but as a culturally significant expression of Roman public life. The second work (De Amphiteatro) complements this inquiry by turning from festival and combat to their physical setting, with close attention to architectural form and historical significance. The book is organized into two parts: the first devoted to the Amphiteatrum Titi, today better known as the Colosseum, a name that just began circulating in medieval times; the second addressing the amphitheatres of the provinces ("extra Romam"), including Verona in Italy, Pula in Croatia, and Nîmes in France. Together, the two treatises form a coherent investigation into Roman spectacle, social order, and the spaces in which they converged.
