Explanation: To our modern eyes, the gladiator games, and like bloodsports, are extremely gruesome, if sometimes grimly fascinating, spectacles that sit at some exceptional position of horror and entertainment. To the Romans, however, they were a fun, family-friendly activity! The Roman love poet Ovid even recommends the arena as a place to pick girls up at (amongst other places)!
In the defense of ancient peoples who were not Romans, the Romans themselves noted that other contemporary peoples, themselves generally not the sweetest fellows by modern standards, often found the gladiator games gruesome. Obviously, this was proof of Roman superiority, as ‘even’ Roman women and children enjoyed the games!
Explanation: To our modern eyes, the gladiator games, and like bloodsports, are extremely gruesome, if sometimes grimly fascinating, spectacles that sit at some exceptional position of horror and entertainment. To the Romans, however, they were a fun, family-friendly activity! The Roman love poet Ovid even recommends the arena as a place to pick girls up at (amongst other places)!
In the defense of ancient peoples who were not Romans, the Romans themselves noted that other contemporary peoples, themselves generally not the sweetest fellows by modern standards, often found the gladiator games gruesome. Obviously, this was proof of Roman superiority, as ‘even’ Roman women and children enjoyed the games!