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Julio 2020 EBAU

The document discusses distortions of historical facts from Ancient Rome that have survived in popular culture. While the legend of Nero fiddling while Rome burned is untrue, many false stories like gladiators fighting with weighted chains and Christians being commonly fed to lions persist due to Hollywood films. The real Bacchanalia religious festivals honoring Bacchus also differ markedly from the popular image of uncontrolled sex and excess - they were typical ceremonies until men's involvement led to a witch hunt and rumors of orgies.

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Francisco Jose Lopez
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21 views1 page

Julio 2020 EBAU

The document discusses distortions of historical facts from Ancient Rome that have survived in popular culture. While the legend of Nero fiddling while Rome burned is untrue, many false stories like gladiators fighting with weighted chains and Christians being commonly fed to lions persist due to Hollywood films. The real Bacchanalia religious festivals honoring Bacchus also differ markedly from the popular image of uncontrolled sex and excess - they were typical ceremonies until men's involvement led to a witch hunt and rumors of orgies.

Uploaded by

Francisco Jose Lopez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TEXT B

Fake news… in the history of Rome


According to the classic film Quo Vadis (1951) starring Peter Ustinov, legend has it that Nero set fire to ancient
Rome for fun and played his lyre in ecstasy over the spectacle of the flames swallowing up the buildings of
the Ancient City. However, in that distant 64 BC, as testified by the sources, Nero was not in Rome but in
Antium, and excavations have proved that the fire was caused accidently.
The story of Nero, nevertheless, is not the only example of a twisted version of historical facts handed down2
to us and part of collective fantasy even today. Many of these distorted stories from Ancient Rome have
survived in the collective unconscious down to our times thanks to Hollywood. An example is the well-known
gladiators’ fight, where in many films a gladiator confronts many opponents swinging3 a chain with a nail-
studded ball attached to it. But this is a Medieval weapon! Or the killing of Christians by throwing them to the
lions. This sentence4 existed, but only as a punishment for certain crimes, not for religious reasons. In fact,
many stories have been fabricated regarding the persecutions of the Christians. In three centuries, only a few
hundred had been sentenced and it was only over a short period (thirteen years). But even the Roman edicts
issued against the Christians clearly emphasized that bloodshed must be avoided when possible.
But one of the greatest distortions in the history and image of Rome concerns their famous Bacchanalia, the
legend of the orgiastic banquets with uncontrolled sex and abundant food. The real Bacchanalia have nothing
to do with this; they were typical religious ceremonies in honor of Bacchus, god of wine. This false perception
was formed in 186 BC, when consul Postumius found out that men were also participating in the Bacchus
celebrations, which, until then, had been restricted to women. He reported this to the Senate and warned it of
its dangers. A witch hunt5 followed. A false rumor spread that during these celebrations, based on the union
with the god’s spirit through music and dance, the participants gave themselves up to orgies and murders,
thus convincing the people that something frightening took place there.
1
Swallow up: If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing
separately by making it part of itself.
2
Hand down: To pass traditions from older people to younger ones.
3
Swing: To move backwards and forwards or from one side to the other without interruption.
4
Sentence: A punishment given to someone who has been found guilty of doing something wrong.
5
Witch hunt: An attempt to find and punish people whose opinions are considered dangerous.
1. Read the text and choose the best option (A, B, or C) for items 1.1 to 1.4. On your answer sheet,
draw a table like the one below and, for each item, copy only the letter that corresponds to your
answer (A, B, or C). Use CAPITAL LETTERS. [Score: 4 items x 0.5 marks = 2 marks]
1 2 3 4

1. Nero …
a) … is responsible for setting fire to Rome and playing the lyre while watching the fire.
b) … is said to have been playing the lyre while watching the city of Rome on fire.
c) … has been proved to have caused the fire accidentally.
2. According to the text, …
a) … Hollywood is responsible for the distortion of historical facts about gladiators’ fights and the throwing
of Christians to the lions.
b) … it is not true that the Christians in ancient Rome were persecuted and thrown to the lions as a
punishment.
c) … the throwing of Christians to the lions was an extremely common practice in ancient Rome’s days.
3. The real Bacchanalia were …
a) … famous legends about Bacchus, god of wine.
b) … parties with abundant food and uncontrolled sex, mostly involving women.
c) … religious ceremonies which had nothing to do with orgies nor uncontrolled food consumption.
4. In 186 BC, …
a) … the Roman Senate was informed that men were starting to participate in Bacchanalia.
b) … a witch hunt started against the women who took part in the Bacchanalia.
c) … consul Postumius spread a false rumor about men participating in Bacchanalia.

2. Complete each sentence with information from the text but using your own words (about 10-15
words of your own per sentence). DO NOT COPY LITERALLY from the text nor from items 1.1 to 1.4.
Write the two sentences on your answer sheet. [Score: 2 items x 0.5 marks = 1 mark]
1. Quo Vadis (1951) …
2. Women …

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