Bread and circuses, or panem et circenses, is an expression attributed to the poet Juvenal that appears in his work Satires, written between the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. in Ancient Rome. Juvenal describes the lower classes of Roman society as corrupt, apathetic, and dependent on the bread and circuses provided by the Roman Empire. In those days, the emperor’s administration became known for distributing wheat to feed the people, while also providing spectacles for their entertainment.

The expression “bread and circuses” came to be associated with politicians’ manipulation of the population, encouraging those with little interest in social issues to focus on simple pleasures such as food and entertainment. It is believed that the Roman aristocracy harbored a strong contempt for the lower classes, and the divide between the different social strata was very pronounced.

The Roman amphitheater served as a stage for gladiators to combat, glorifying violence and the struggle between individuals. The state promoted various forms of entertainment, such as games, combat, and other spectacles, manipulating both the participants and the audience to promote ideals such as courage, pride, identity, and strength. These values became a means of social advancement for the people, while safeguarding and concealing the values and powers of the ruling elite.

The amphitheater becomes the arena, the public space that serves the state’s authoritarianism, and the place where theater will later develop as a space for fantasy and the projection of the individual. The arena and the amphitheater thus also become spaces for political and ethical demands, and the arena is the place where barbarism is assimilated. When staged—even though it is real—it becomes distant because it happens to others and not to us.

Western culture and art still exist within this arena, and are at a critical juncture for questioning themselves in the face of imminent ecological and social collapse and the transformation of their empires.