Gladiator fights at Brot & Spiele

Brot und Spiele (German for Bread and circuses) is Germany's biggest Roman festival, annually held in Germany's oldest city, Trier. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. " Bread and circuses " (or Bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is an ancient Roman Metaphor for people Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Trier (Trèves Luxembourgish: Tréier; Augusta Treverorum is a City in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. The festival takes place at two of the city's Roman monuments: the Amphitheatre hosts theatre performances that include many gladiator fights and the Imperial Baths are used to display the civil and military life in the vicus. Gladiators (gladiatores "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword" from la ''gladius'' "sword" were professional fighters in Ancient Rome who fought In the history of the Roman empire, a vicus (pl vici was an ad hoc provincial civilian settlement that sprang up close to and because of a nearby official Roman In 2006 the festival was one of the winners of the "Germany - land of ideas" award. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2007 festival was from 10 August to 12 August 2007 and, as Trier celebrated the 'Constantine year', Constantine the Great played an important role as - the Gladiator Show dealt with gladiator fights and intrigues at his wedding in Trier (in the year 307) and the mystic night was inspired by the mysterious death of his wife Fausta. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Events Roman Empire March 31 — After divorcing his wife Minervina Constantine marries Fausta the daughter of the retired Emperor Fausta Flavia Maxima, Roman Empress (289-326AD She was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximianus.

In 2008 the festival will take place from 15 August to 17 August, the show in the amphitheatre will deal with an old legend from Trier: the deadly competition between the builder of the amphitheatre and the builder of the aqueduct. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli An aqueduct is an artificial channel that is constructed to convey water from one location to another

External links

• Official Website (German) (English)
• Interview with Musician Peter Merger, responsible for the 'Mystic Night' of the festival (English)