Doctoral thesis by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
War has been one of the most recurring themes in films and TV series set in ancient Rome. However... more War has been one of the most recurring themes in films and TV series set in ancient Rome. However, despite the abundance of studies on film and Ancient History, there does not yet exist an in-depth, systematic, independent and comprehensive analysis of the cinematic reception of warfare and the Roman army. The present doctoral thesis aims to explore this phenomenon, paying special attention to the productions of the 21st century, drawing on a corpus of film and television sources comprised of the following titles: Gladiator (Scott, 2000), Julius Caesar (TNT, 2002), Spartacus (USA Network, 2004), Rome (HBO, 2005-2007), Centurion (Marshall, 2010), The Eagle (Macdonald, 2011), Spartacus: Vengeance (STARZ, 2012) y Spartacus: War of the Damned (STARZ, 2013), Risen (Reynolds, 2016) y Ben-Hur (Bekmambetov, 2016).
This research has been divided into three sections using the terminology of the cinematographic world: exposition, rising action and climax. The first section, comprising the first two chapters, provides a comprehensive review of the literature, giving an outline of the various lines of research adopted by studies on history and cinema, classical reception studies and works dealing with antiquity —and Rome in particular— through cinema. Chapter two covers the historiographical production on warfare and the Roman army from the beginnings of the research to the most current lines of thought, underlining milestones such as the turn known as ‘the face of battle’.
The second section contains the third and fourth chapters. Chapter three further explores what is known as ‘Roman cinema’ as a source, analysing the historical trajectory of this genre, its primary characteristics and its ways of projecting history. In chapter four, a historical and cinematographic context is provided for each of the films and series analysed, through a series of sub-sections adhering to the chronological criteria of ancient Roman wars.
Finally, the last section contains the three chapters central to this study. Chapter five looks at a series of analogies and parallels found between the image of Roman war and a given production’s contemporary context. The concept of war and the ideal of peace, while presented as Roman, are a reflection of contemporary concerns and values in a world marked by events like the “Global War against Terrorism”. Chapter six analyses the face of Roman battle, with emphasis on the portrayal of the personal experience of the legionary in combat. A description is given of the cinematographic techniques used to recreate the bloodiest aspects of battle and how all of this results in a much more humanised image of the Roman soldier in comparison with that portrayed by classic films of the genre. Lastly, chapter seven tackles the representation of the Roman triumph on screen, examining its degree of historical accuracy, as well as the extremely militarised aesthetic it has gained from certain contemporary visual references.
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Papers by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Resumen: El cine de romanos, desde sus inicios, ha mostrado una imagen violenta y decadente de la... more Resumen: El cine de romanos, desde sus inicios, ha mostrado una imagen violenta y decadente de la antigua Roma, en la cual los espectáculos de gladiadores han tenido un papel importante. En el presente trabajo nos proponemos, por un lado, analizar la violencia de los munera gladiatoria recreada en la pantalla en relación con las fuentes antiguas, y por otro, intentar concretar qué tipo de analogías se pueden establecer entre esa violencia gladiatoria y el contexto político-ideológico o económico-social en el que surge cada película.
Abstract: Roman films, since their inception, have shown a violent and decadent image of ancient Rome, in which gladiatorial spectacles have played an important role. On the one hand, this paper will analyze the violence of munera gladiatoria recreated on screen in relation to ancient sources; on the other hand, we try to specify what kind of analogies are possible to establish between this gladia-torial violence and the specific ideological-political and social-economic context in which each film was released.
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Despite of the proliferation of studies about Ancient History and cinema that has been developed ... more Despite of the proliferation of studies about Ancient History and cinema that has been developed over the past few years, there are quite few works that provide some information about the cinematographic representation of the Roman army. Trying to correct partly this empty space, we will analyse how the discipline in the Roman army has been presented on the screen. On the one and, it will be analysed how accurate these representations are according to Classic literature, and, on the other hand, focusing on the reception phenomenon, it will also be studied what kind of contemporary concerns and values the film show about this topic.
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The War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict in which maritime privateers, especially Basque, weighed h... more The War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict in which maritime privateers, especially Basque, weighed heavily. This work
aims to focus the study of privateering practices prevailing in the Lordship of Biscay between 1739 and 1748, on the central axis of the work of the frigate Nuestra Señora de Begoña y San Jose alias Marte Vizcaíno.
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Despite of the proliferation of studies about Ancient History and cinema during the last years, t... more Despite of the proliferation of studies about Ancient History and cinema during the last years, the cinematographic representation of the Roman Army has not been studied. But the historical films about Rome have been a genre closely linked with warfare, so the Roman army always has been a main element within these films. Through the analysis of some recent productions such as Centurion (Marshall, 2010) or Eagle of the Ninth (Macdonald, 2011) and classic films like Spartacus (Kubrick, 1960) or The fall of the Roman Empire (Mann, 1964), this article will try to review the level of historical veracity of the cinematographic representation of this army. Moreover, focusing on the reception phenomenon, it will be analysed what contemporary concerns reflect this representation.
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Book chapters by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Maria G. Castello, Irene Berti, Carla Scilabra (eds.), Ancient Violence in Modern Imagination. The Fear and the Fury, London, Bloomsbury, 2020
This paper analyzed how since the release of Gladiator (2000), Roman Epic films, along with certa... more This paper analyzed how since the release of Gladiator (2000), Roman Epic films, along with certain TV series, have portrayed battles following the Hollywood aesthetic of visceral and hyperrealist violence, while simultaneously focusing to a large degree on the soldier’s perspective. For a more in-depth understanding of these cinematic depictions of ‘the face of Roman battle’, a revision of scholarly works that focuses on this approach is necessary, as well as a comparative analysis of the imagery of battles in recent Roman Epic films and series to those of previous films of the genre, along with other war films. This chapter will thus attempt to answer the question of to what extent these depictions are influenced by scholarly research – the ‘face of battle approach’ – as well as by Hollywood’s conventions and the contemporary context in which each production is created.
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La guerra de la Antigüedad en el cine, 2019
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Book Reviews by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Reseña del libro: Unceta Gómez, Luis y Sánchez Pérez, Carlos (eds.): En los márgenes de Roma. La ... more Reseña del libro: Unceta Gómez, Luis y Sánchez Pérez, Carlos (eds.): En los márgenes de Roma. La Antigüedad romana en la cultura de masas contemporánea. Madrid: UAM Ediciones / Los Libros de la Catarata, 2019, 302 pp. [ISBN: 978-84-9097-869-6]
Publicada en Studia Historica, Historia Antigua, nº38 (2020), pp. 384-391
https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0213-2052/article/view/24389/23142
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Conferences reviews by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
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Talks by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Ponencia presentada en el Coloquio Internacional ANIHO: del clasicismo de élite al clasicismo de ... more Ponencia presentada en el Coloquio Internacional ANIHO: del clasicismo de élite al clasicismo de masas (UPV-EHU, 2019)
El vídeo íntegro de la ponencia puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.es/video/5e159d97f82b2b733d8b4976
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Ponencia como invitado en la Jornada el Mundo Clásico y los Medios Audiovisuales de la SEEC-País ... more Ponencia como invitado en la Jornada el Mundo Clásico y los Medios Audiovisuales de la SEEC-País Vasco (Facultad de Letras de la UPV-EHU, 2016).
La comunicación puede visualizarse de forma integra en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/58c6733cf82b2b31328b4580
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Comunicación presentada en el IV Congreso Cine y Humanidades: la pantalla en guerra (Universidad ... more Comunicación presentada en el IV Congreso Cine y Humanidades: la pantalla en guerra (Universidad de Cádiz, 20-21-22 de marzo de 2019)
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Comunicación presentada en el III Seminario Internacional ANIHO (UPV-EHU, 19 de octubre de 2017)
... more Comunicación presentada en el III Seminario Internacional ANIHO (UPV-EHU, 19 de octubre de 2017)
En vídeo íntegro de la comunicación puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/59f183a9f82b2b41288b481d
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Comunicación presentada en la jornada Erase una vez...la Antigüedad (UAM, 12-13 de enero de 2013)
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Comunicación presentada en el Jornada Internacional de Investigación en Ciencias de la Antigüedad... more Comunicación presentada en el Jornada Internacional de Investigación en Ciencias de la Antigüedad (Universidad de Cantabria, 19 de junio de 2017)
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Conferences / seminars organization by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
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V JORNADA INTERNACIONAL DE JÓVENES INVESTIGADORES ANIHO -VII SHRA (04/11/2021)
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Doctoral thesis by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
This research has been divided into three sections using the terminology of the cinematographic world: exposition, rising action and climax. The first section, comprising the first two chapters, provides a comprehensive review of the literature, giving an outline of the various lines of research adopted by studies on history and cinema, classical reception studies and works dealing with antiquity —and Rome in particular— through cinema. Chapter two covers the historiographical production on warfare and the Roman army from the beginnings of the research to the most current lines of thought, underlining milestones such as the turn known as ‘the face of battle’.
The second section contains the third and fourth chapters. Chapter three further explores what is known as ‘Roman cinema’ as a source, analysing the historical trajectory of this genre, its primary characteristics and its ways of projecting history. In chapter four, a historical and cinematographic context is provided for each of the films and series analysed, through a series of sub-sections adhering to the chronological criteria of ancient Roman wars.
Finally, the last section contains the three chapters central to this study. Chapter five looks at a series of analogies and parallels found between the image of Roman war and a given production’s contemporary context. The concept of war and the ideal of peace, while presented as Roman, are a reflection of contemporary concerns and values in a world marked by events like the “Global War against Terrorism”. Chapter six analyses the face of Roman battle, with emphasis on the portrayal of the personal experience of the legionary in combat. A description is given of the cinematographic techniques used to recreate the bloodiest aspects of battle and how all of this results in a much more humanised image of the Roman soldier in comparison with that portrayed by classic films of the genre. Lastly, chapter seven tackles the representation of the Roman triumph on screen, examining its degree of historical accuracy, as well as the extremely militarised aesthetic it has gained from certain contemporary visual references.
Papers by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Abstract: Roman films, since their inception, have shown a violent and decadent image of ancient Rome, in which gladiatorial spectacles have played an important role. On the one hand, this paper will analyze the violence of munera gladiatoria recreated on screen in relation to ancient sources; on the other hand, we try to specify what kind of analogies are possible to establish between this gladia-torial violence and the specific ideological-political and social-economic context in which each film was released.
aims to focus the study of privateering practices prevailing in the Lordship of Biscay between 1739 and 1748, on the central axis of the work of the frigate Nuestra Señora de Begoña y San Jose alias Marte Vizcaíno.
Book chapters by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Book Reviews by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Publicada en Studia Historica, Historia Antigua, nº38 (2020), pp. 384-391
https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0213-2052/article/view/24389/23142
Conferences reviews by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
Talks by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
El vídeo íntegro de la ponencia puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.es/video/5e159d97f82b2b733d8b4976
La comunicación puede visualizarse de forma integra en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/58c6733cf82b2b31328b4580
En vídeo íntegro de la comunicación puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/59f183a9f82b2b41288b481d
Conferences / seminars organization by Oskar Aguado Cantabrana
This research has been divided into three sections using the terminology of the cinematographic world: exposition, rising action and climax. The first section, comprising the first two chapters, provides a comprehensive review of the literature, giving an outline of the various lines of research adopted by studies on history and cinema, classical reception studies and works dealing with antiquity —and Rome in particular— through cinema. Chapter two covers the historiographical production on warfare and the Roman army from the beginnings of the research to the most current lines of thought, underlining milestones such as the turn known as ‘the face of battle’.
The second section contains the third and fourth chapters. Chapter three further explores what is known as ‘Roman cinema’ as a source, analysing the historical trajectory of this genre, its primary characteristics and its ways of projecting history. In chapter four, a historical and cinematographic context is provided for each of the films and series analysed, through a series of sub-sections adhering to the chronological criteria of ancient Roman wars.
Finally, the last section contains the three chapters central to this study. Chapter five looks at a series of analogies and parallels found between the image of Roman war and a given production’s contemporary context. The concept of war and the ideal of peace, while presented as Roman, are a reflection of contemporary concerns and values in a world marked by events like the “Global War against Terrorism”. Chapter six analyses the face of Roman battle, with emphasis on the portrayal of the personal experience of the legionary in combat. A description is given of the cinematographic techniques used to recreate the bloodiest aspects of battle and how all of this results in a much more humanised image of the Roman soldier in comparison with that portrayed by classic films of the genre. Lastly, chapter seven tackles the representation of the Roman triumph on screen, examining its degree of historical accuracy, as well as the extremely militarised aesthetic it has gained from certain contemporary visual references.
Abstract: Roman films, since their inception, have shown a violent and decadent image of ancient Rome, in which gladiatorial spectacles have played an important role. On the one hand, this paper will analyze the violence of munera gladiatoria recreated on screen in relation to ancient sources; on the other hand, we try to specify what kind of analogies are possible to establish between this gladia-torial violence and the specific ideological-political and social-economic context in which each film was released.
aims to focus the study of privateering practices prevailing in the Lordship of Biscay between 1739 and 1748, on the central axis of the work of the frigate Nuestra Señora de Begoña y San Jose alias Marte Vizcaíno.
Publicada en Studia Historica, Historia Antigua, nº38 (2020), pp. 384-391
https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/0213-2052/article/view/24389/23142
El vídeo íntegro de la ponencia puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.es/video/5e159d97f82b2b733d8b4976
La comunicación puede visualizarse de forma integra en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/58c6733cf82b2b31328b4580
En vídeo íntegro de la comunicación puede consultarse en el siguiente enlace: https://ehutb.ehu.eus/video/59f183a9f82b2b41288b481d
Los días 28, 29 y 30 se celebró una nueva edición de las Jornadas Internacionales de Jóvenes Investigadores ANIHO – Seminario de Historiografía y Recepción de la Antigüedad. En esta ocasión, a través del nuevo canal de YouTube del Proyecto de investigación ANIHO, accesible a través del siguiente link, donde han quedado grabadas todas las comunicaciones y debates del encuentro:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw6SQBKCTiZstFLitZcWQLQ?view_as=subscriber
20 de noviembre, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Universidad del País Vasco
Más información - more information: https://aniho.hypotheses.org/419
Más información: https://aniho.hypotheses.org/459
Under the title Antiquity and collective identities: from The Middle Ages to the Contemporary World, the II ANIHO Young Researchers’ Conference – IV SHRA intends to analyse the role played by Classical Antiquity (but also Near Eastern and Protohistoric), in the political and cultural development of collective identities, both in the construction of modern nations and in the conception and definition of pre-national communities. In this regard, the conference will focus on the theme tackled by the ANIHO-ANIWEH project, but without limiting itself exclusively to the contemporary world. Consequently, proposals which deal with this use of Antiquity in Medieval and Modern times will also be accepted.
More information: https://aniho.hypotheses.org/459
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Gladiator (2000), I have compiled an exhaustive bibliographic list that contains much of the academic production on the film.