Deformed entertainer - deformed entertainer

…However, in addition to traveling performers who had formed groups, sailors who had lost their fortunes in shipwrecks and beggars also flocked to the streets of Rome, calling themselves street performers. The most popular physical performers were freaks, who were deformed performers, including dwarves. Many of them belonged to royalty and nobility, but when they lost their patrons due to bans or other reasons, they took to the streets. During this period, deformed performers were artificially created, and it is said that markets were established in Rome and other cities to buy and sell them. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "deformed entertainers" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…しかしローマの街角には隊を組んだ巡回芸人のほかに，船の難破で財を失った船乗りや物乞いも大道芸人を名のって群がっていた。肉体芸で人気があったのは小人をはじめとする奇形芸人freaksで，彼らの多くは王侯貴族に属していたが，禁令などにより庇護者を失うと街頭へ出た。この時期，奇形芸人は人工的に作りだされ，ローマほかの都市ではこれを売買する市（いち）も立ったといわれる。…

※「奇形芸人」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報