At the Games

Hundreds of fragmentary glass cups preserve labeled representations of the empire’s leading sports stars, especially charioteers and gladiators. This mold-blown glassware illustrates how imagery common on popular terracotta plaques and lamps was adapted for upright translucent vessel walls. Comparing scenes reveals an important difference: whereas chariots are shown racing around the track’s monument-filled dividing line, gladiators compete without any indication of setting. When the cups are glimpsed at a utilitarian angle (45 degrees), they represent the events as they appeared from inclined stands and conjure the visual experience of spectacular entertainment. Most examples have been documented in the northwest provinces; in funerary, religious, and domestic contexts; and in places that did necessarily possess sports venues. Previously considered tools of Romanization or mementoes brought home from games, they were more likely commodities that found success in a competitive market for tableware by offering virtual experiences of the games in miniature.