Animal hunts in late antiquity Continuities and changes between the 4th and 6th century AD in the east of the Roman empire

Animal hunts (lat. venationes) were a popular form of mass entertainment in the Roman empire, from their origins in the republican period until Late Antiquity. Venationes continued to be presented even after gladiator fights, with which animal hunts were traditionally combined, disappeared from public life. They endured despite facing harsh and persistent opposition by Christian critics from the 2^nd century AD onwards. The present thesis seeks to understand the reasons for the persistence and popularity of venationes in the late antique East from the beginning of the 4^th century AD onward and for their eventual end in the mid-6^th century AD.
In previous scholarship, animal hunts have mostly been discussed in general works on Roman spectacles, in which they have often been sidelined next to gladiator fights and chariot racing. Additionally, evidence stemming from later periods and from outside Rome has received little attention. By centring animal hunts, this dissertation fills a lacuna in current research on Roman spectacles and highlights the unique circumstances and developments of venationes in Late Antiquity. The dissertation looks at a variety of sources to bring together local practices, inter-provincial networks, and imperial policies for a comprehensive understanding of the cultural and social significance of animal hunts for late antique society. By studying animal hunts as a historical instance of human-animal interaction, the dissertation acknowledges that animals are central to what venationes looked like, what venues were needed to accommodate them, what was necessary to organise them, and how the spectators and critics saw them.