Venatio
“Venatio, hunting was the name given among the Romans to an exhibition of wild beasts, which fought with one another and with men. These exhibitions origionally formed part of the games of the circus. Julius Caesar first build a wooden ampitheatre for the exhibition of wild beasts, and others were subsequently erected; but we frequently read of venationes in the circus in subsequent times. The persons who fought with the beasts were either condemned criminals or captives, or individuals who did so for the sake of pay, and were trained for the purpose.” &mdash Smith; 1873
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Roman EmpireSource
William Smith, A School Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1873) 351
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